Conquering Egypt
by KiwiDoughnuts
Summary: He sat next to her in a bar and she thrown off by his unexpected behavior. He left her with an unspoken challenge to find the truth about what really happened that night so long ago. For her sanity and for his sake.
1. Giza

Here's my first go at a fic. This has always been my favorite pairing and since I've been wishing for more of it, I decided to try it myself. Itachi's still at large, Sasuke's somewhere I don't care about, and Sakura's en route home.

Short Summary: He sat next to her in a bar and she thrown off by his unexpected behavior. He left her with an unspoken challenge to find the truth about what really happened that night so long ago. For her sanity and for his sake.

Warning: Mild Language

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor any characters in this story. Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Damn, had it been a long week. A really, god-awful, long ass week. And right now, there was nothing that was going to keep Sakura from sitting at this bar. No sir.

A mission from Grass had exhausted her; a virus through a smaller village had broken out, and they needed help, desperately. _Figures_, Sakura thought. _Grass Country was never too interested in the rest of their country... Forcing Konoha to send my ass out here. _On second thought, Grass's medical abilities were definitely lacking and she knew that. _That's probably it, but it still bothers me that they don't give a crap about anyone outside their ninja village_.

With that, Sakura took her glass and threw back another cup of sake into her throat. Of course she had thought about stopping, but her Shishou had rubbed off on her to quite the extent. Sakura put the glass down, then signaled for another. Tonight, after an exhausting week of diagnosing, formulating an antidote, and administrating it, along with several chakra infusions, here she was. And she had parked it in this three-legged barstool, damnit.

She hadn't even gotten out of Grass country, to be honest. She was thinking of just plowing straight home as quick as possible, but then, on her traverse toward Konoha, she found this place on the Border. She figured, "why not?" and had gone inside.

The virus had been dangerous, affecting several- mostly the children. After two days of analyzing and testing, she finally procured a treatment. Oh, how she worked her butt off to figure it out and it had been tricky, too! But being the over-achiever that she was, after giving the dosages to those who needed it, she stayed to make sure everything went alright and the medicine was truly working.

The bartender now was handing her another sake cup. Sakura stared at it. She could see her reflection within the liquid. Green, hazy eyes looked back. Maybe she would stop after this one? Maybe.

True, the antidote took care of the sickness, but since the village finally had a decent medic to accommodate them, they took advantage of her skills, requiring chakra procedures to fix the entire village's previous makeshift healing. Without a medic, they tried to fix cuts and bruises, broken bones, deeper wounds, etc. in their own way: a complete mess. Sakura couldn't help but know infections were surely on their way to some of these people with this healing style. So after working so hard to find the antidote…

Sakura snorted. She had kicked it into full gear to create that medicine. And when she finally thought she was going to get some rest, they sprung up other issues on her. Well, there had went her whole plan of recovering chakra. "Oh, Haruno-sama, could you fix this?" or "Haruno-sama, is it possible to look at me? I think something is wrong." "Sakura-san, would it inconvenience you…?"

The list went on. And on. And on. The pink-haired woman snorted again. She knew she was supposed to help people. It was her duty, but really, there was a breaking point and those people didn't know when to stop. But she forced herself to heal them anyway despite working on an empty tank of chakra. She did get money out of it and a lot, too. So she couldn't completely complain. Sakura loved to help people…

But it _had_ been completely taxing on her. Sakura wasn't one to give up, nor talk back to those who needed her help. But without a break, _or a thank you!,_ her inner voice supplied, she really was at her wits end. She had to check up on almost the whole village! Whatever treatment anyone had been given was most certainly not done correctly. There was one leg that had broken and healed incorrectly, but she fixed it… Not to mention all the wounds that needed to be opened again and cleaned _properly_. Sakura put her elbow on the counter and rested her chin in her hand for a few moments.

It had really been a long week.

With that, the kunoichi, lifted her head up off her hand, picked up her glass, and lifted it to her lips. A quick motion flicked the glass back, emptying its contents into her mouth. Oh, how _wonderful_ it tasted.

Too bad, all the time she spent with Tsunade and late night drinking after training had now given her a high tolerance. With this in consideration, Sakura ordered yet another drink.

Sakura thought, for perhaps the eleventh time (she'd lost count), that this surely _was the last one_. Her eyes were slightly hazy, yes, but she was still alert. She was a kunoichi, after all and with a reputation, to boot. Besides, the haziness was probably due to sheer exhaustion, courtesy of the people back in the other village. Yeah, that was it.

She was aware that there were several men in the bar, mostly shinobi, looking over at her. Sitting at the bar… Alone… Wearing scandalously short shorts, knee-high boots, and did they ever show off her legs. Sakura lifted her left leg up and shifted it over to settle it on top of her right. After doing so, she raked her hand through her pink hair and sighed.

The bartender came back with her drink. Reaching out, she embraced the new glass and put it down on the counter. She looked at the pyramid of her previous cups, their contents already conquered by her stomach. She let out a small laugh, noticing she was well on her way to finishing it. Only a few more glasses would complete her little creation. Well, now she finally had derived a perfect place to know when to stop drinking: After four more cups. Sakura decreed this an excellent idea. Perfect.

The men around her were still looking at her. It was unsettling a little. _Whatever_, she thought. _If they come too close, their face can meet my boot_. Sakura still had good control over herself, she did not doubt this. And then she took the glass and threw it back into her throat. She could hear the men… wondering how such a little pink-haired pixie was drinking so much and staying conscious. Surely she would start to lose control at some point? They saw her place the emptied glass on her stack of already drunken cups, motioning with her other hand to the bartender for another.

The few shinobi in the bar could see her hands wobbling slightly. It was coming; she was losing control. They started getting antsy. She was by herself, exhausted, and incredibly beautiful, there was no denying that. They knew she was obviously a kunoichi, the toned muscles gave that away. Not to mention they could see she had some headband in her hair. They didn't know which village she hailed from, but knew she came from one. And nothing was finer than getting some kunoichi ass.

Sakura was now starting to feel the alcohol. Her hands were shaking. Not much, but just enough to be noticeable. And damnit, the men in the bar noticed, too. She might need to reconsider finishing her tower of glass cups. She was by herself, tired and clearly on her way to being tipsy, which was not good. She should have stopped a while ago. Or waited til she got back to Konoha and drank with a friend.

Yeah, that would have been the Sakura thing to do... Oh look, another little cup from the bartender! _Wellll, since he brought it over here, I wouldn't want to hurt his feelings…_

She wasn't really caring at this point, she guessed. She just needed to sit and drink something with proof in it. Was that really so hard to ask? Is it so difficult to do so without being watched by an entire bar of guys? _You ask for too much_, she told herself. _You know things never go our way_. Then, Inner Sakura replied that from what she could tell, the guys looking at her weren't even that attractive, anyway. _Well, that sucks._

They were now leering at her, waiting for her to throw back yet another cup of sake. She looked down at her pyramid and her still full cup. After this cup, she then needed two more sake drinks. Could she do it? Of course she could, but she didn't know what those shinobi were capable of. At twenty years old, surely she could take care of herself, courtesy of some chakra-filled fists and her ferocious temper, but she still didn't know how either of those elements would match up against an unknown enemy. She started swirling the contents on the cup on the counter, watching it whirlpool around in the glass… debating whether or not to drink it. The shinobi were starting to look eager and it started making an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

Someone moved onto the bar stool next to her. She didn't really pay much mind to the person- in fact, she didn't even hear the door open. The kunoichi then heard the person order sake, like she had done quite some time ago. For some reason, Sakura felt the leering stares from the men instantly quiet down. They were now chatting quietly amongst themselves and casting fearful glances over in her direction. _What on earth?_

She slighted her eyes to her left, conservatively. Black cloak. She couldn't see much more than that from her angle. Just that it was black. _Nothing special there. Psh._

Oh, his hand! She at least knew the person was male from the voice he used to order. She looked at his right hand, which was now reaching out for his sake. Ring on the ring finger. The ring was white-ish with a red center, with a black symbol on it. Sakura's breath almost stopped.

Oh, shit. Oh no. She knew what that meant. That ring and on that finger and a black cloak was a nasty combination to encounter by one's self. Especially when drinking alone.

She may have been drinking, but Sakura's mind easily discerned why those shinobi pigs got quiet so fast. Green eyes blinked while panic started to settle in. Which was worse? The men who were eyeing her like a prostitute or the man sitting next to her?

Sakura knew the only way out of this was to remain calm. Perhaps he didn't even know who was sitting on the barstool to his right...? But no matter the case, at least he scared those other guys into little mice and was being quiet; he was completely focused on himself. She had to admit, now she was noticing the slightly heavy aura about him and it was kind of frightening. How she wasn't physically freaking out, she had no clue. _Oh right. Alcohol._

He didn't make a noise. All he did was soundlessly sip his sake. Sakura looked down at hers. She hadn't touched it yet. _Well, if he's here, and not causing trouble, might as well enjoy yourself!_ She picked up her cup and swallowed the contents in a smooth gulp, sighing as it went down to her stomach.

"Kunoichi."

Sakura bolted herself upright and winced. In that quick jerk, she accidently broke the cup she was holding. It shattered in her grasp and the fragments fell onto the ground. _Damn! Maybe the barkeep won't notice?_

Moments ticked by. Nothing happened. Sakura looked at the glass on the floor. She looked at her pyramid. It was almost finished. So close! She just needed two more… then she'd leave. That had been the plan, at least.

Then she broke a cup. Crap. Now she'd have to order an extra, making her still at three more cups. Well, with her new next-door neighbor on the stool, things might change.

The voice had been smooth, dark, and quiet, but commanding none-the-less. Sakura now felt obligated to say something. She kept staring at her pyramid and opened her mouth.

"Uh, yes?" Sakura didn't know what else you would say to this man, really. She still wouldn't look at him. Well, she wasn't going to. Period. She may have had several glasses of alcohol… She might have lost count, somewhere… long ago... But she knew not to look to her left. Oh, no sir. She lowered her head and stared at the counter.

The voice came again and said, "Sakura, do you really think what you are doing is wise?" Sakura blinked, continued looking down, and shook her head. _Nope. I really don't._ She wasn't surprised he knew her name. After all, his brother was on her genin team. He had to have known Sasuke and her were teammates. End of story. The fact he called her name and had yet to kill her made her somewhat relaxed. Somewhat. Not completely. Relaxation around this man would not fair well.

"Sakura, you may look at me. My eyes harbor no malicious content towards you. Please know I am not here to cause you any despair."

Without thinking, Sakura turned abruptly and looked at the man to her left. "What!" Sakura exclaimed. "What are you getting at?" _Ah, shit. Not good. Should have thought that one through before doing that. _

Sakura focused her eyes at the man in front of her. He was staring ahead at the wall behind the counter they were sitting at, sipping his drink, enjoying its taste. She looked down. She could now see the red clouds on his cloak. She looked back up at his head. Dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, riding low on his neck.

He turned. Toward her.

Sakura cringed, but still faced him.

He looked at her. Then placed his now emptied cup on the counter and asked for another. She now saw the hitae-ite with the leaf symbol scratched through the center. The dark lines under his eyes. The smirking mouth. _Prick_. And then, with new-found alcoholic confidence, she looked at his eyes.

They were crimson, with three dots encircling the pupil. The sharingan. Sakura quickly made sure she was still breathing. Maybe he was telling the truth and he honestly wasn't going to kill her? _But he plays mind tricks… Be careful. _Indeed.

Uchiha Itachi was looking at her. Square in the face. And it was frightening. Downright scary. But Sakura didn't move and she kept staring at him. The sake was probably now starting to affect her on more levels. _Well, about time... Oh wait, no!_

"Sakura, I'm not here to fight you. Though, I am sure the men in this establishment would most assuredly jump at such a chance." The edges of his lips turned up slightly as he said this.

Well, that started the fire burning. "You know," Sakura began. Uchiha Itachi or not, she was not going to take crap and that's just how she was. Stupid as this might be, she retorted quite aggressively, "I'm confident enough that if these ugly bastards started to move in on me, they would lose a body part they very much cherished."

Said ugly bastards in the room were now eyeing the two. They had a bad feeling about the one guy, and the girl was starting to get pissed off. Something might be going down. He looked scary and she was starting to take on a temper and it was horrifying. Who knew the docile, little pinkette was a raging tiger underneath? They were clearly thinking it was a good thing they hadn't pursued her. They could almost see the anger radiating off of her.

Sakura was looking at Uchiha Itachi. She knew she needed to watch her mouth, _I really need to stop picking up on Shishou's habits…_ but she hated being stomped on like some doormat. She wasn't going to stand for anything like that.

She was furious. He smirked at her.

She blinked, revealing eyes of dark emerald. "Don't you go throwing that smirk at me! I _know_ what that means. I was around your brother long enough to know those goddamned mannerisms." Sakura was getting madder and madder by the moment. Itachi put his elbow on the counter and lazily put his chin in his hand.

"Mannerisms?"

It was at this point that Inner Sakura started noticing was her counterpart did not. She quickly relayed information to her other consciousness: Uchiha Itachi was quite attractive and far more so than any of the other shinobi in this bar.

Sakura heard this and snorted once again. Hardly lady like, but she really hadn't been paying attention to his physical appearance in the sexuality department. Well, now she was. She looked at him again, clinically analyzing his features, refusing to give him reason to think she checking him out. _You're right. Good call._ She quickly reverted back to fussing at him.

"You and your brother do that "smirk" crap. It's infuriating. Stop it. You're probably going to throw the "hn" at me later, too. Honestly, hold a conversation! For a genius, I know words aren't difficult," Sakura said exasperatedly. Then she realized she shouldn't be speaking that way to someone who was in Akatsuki. Really._ Way to go. Now how else can we piss him off? Redirect! Quick!_

"What do you want, anyway, Uchiha?" Sakura bit out. _Good start so far, girl_. Inner Sakura snorted for the other. Her sarcasm was really on par, she noticed, but the timing was most unfortunate.

Sakura waited. If he was anything like his brother _or rather, his brother picked up a few habits from him_, then he was going to take his sweet ass time to answer. Such a bothersome trait, honestly. But that's probably why the two of them are so ri-goddamned-diculously lethal. Physically, Mentally, and Verbally.

Moments ticked by. When he still hadn't answered, she ordered another drink. Well, if he wasn't going to engage in conversation, she was just going to ignore him! The drink came and still no reply. She swung it up and drank it just as quick, placing it on her tower.

Itachi watched her motions. He looked at the creation she was making on the bar counter. From what he could tell, it was an almost complete pyramid. Six glasses were lined up on the very bottom. Then five on top of those, four, three, and then one. She needed another to complete the second row, then the final cup would be placed up there.

He sat back up, finished sipping his drink, put it down on the counter, and called for a third cup. Then, he decided to answer her question:

"A few things."

Sakura's jaw almost fell down. She was half expecting, half unsuspecting such a stupid, half-hearted reply. _He would say something like that_.

"Well, pray tell, oh Shampooed and Conditioned one. What are those 'things?'" Sakura huffed out, and put her elbow back on the counter, forcing her head in her palm. Forget the restraint. He should know that he was going to be on the receiving end of her retorts now.

Now that he had planned the conversation out, he was ready with a few answers to whatever she would ask.

"Oh, Sakura, all I wanted was a mere conversation. That is all." With that, Itachi picked up his glass and took a small sip. Sakura desperately held onto a neutral face. Well, she tried; it was more of a glare in actuality.

"I am telling the truth, Sakura. I held no information that you would be present at this bar. I came in to have a drink, I assure you. Of course, upon entering, I noticed a little Konoha Kunoichi sitting by herself, earning several leers from the other men. I thought I would indulge her presence to prevent something… unfortunate happening." The dark haired man replied, calmly.

Several things just occurred to Sakura after that little speech. First of all and foremost, she did not need protecting! He thought he would sit with her just so other men would stay away! The nerve of him! Sakura ground her teeth, but kept quiet. On the outside.

Inside, however, was a different story. She. Was. Livid. She could take care of herself. Honestly, these guys would have body parts plastered on the ceiling if they did something she didn't appreciate. _Clever. You're really losing it, now._

She stopped her tirade on that point. _Mind games, right? Remember? He just wants to see your reaction and piss you off. Clearly he's enjoying this. _Sakura's raging maelstrom inside her head started to quiet down.

Inner Sakura brought up another point. _He was being rather talkative and playful, no?_ You're right, Sakura wondered. He's not anything like I imagined. Or is it just another game he's playing?

Sakura thought back to the only other time she encountered this man. Well, it really hadn't even been the real Uchiha Itachi, then but someone else.

She had read his file, of course. He typically avoided confrontation, except when needed and did so usually for defensive purposes. He traveled with some giant, anchovy man… _Yeah, where is that guy, anyway?_, but was still mostly quiet.

But also, highly dangerous.

She really needed to stop feeling so comfortable and free around him. Surely it wouldn't take much more to get him on a killing spree. She kept thinking in a feverish attempt to recollect more information about him. He was after Naruto. Wait. Was this an attempt to capture her? As bait? Then again… He was going blind. Maybe he needed her medical expertise. Was it both? Damn, this was a lot of questions. So much was running through her head. _Well, let's start from the beginning_…

"Where's your partner, Kisame? Shouldn't he be here with you?" She figured that was a good one to know. From what she could tell, Akatsuki always traveled in pairs. Except that plant… thing…man.

"He is on his own mission. It is just myself here tonight, rest assured." Itachi took another small sip from his glass.

Well, ok. She knew he wasn't lying. He didn't seem that way. That was underhanded and surely he was above those tricks. Kisame wasn't here. She just didn't know why she believed him, but she figured she was right. He was too dangerous and skilled to play those kind of games. She knew he could take care of everyone here no problem. Besides, she knew Akatsuki partners didn't involve in the other's fights. So even if Kisame _was_ here, she knew his pride would just make him a spectator. Alright, alcoholic confidence says move on to the next question…

"Are you here for Naruto?" This was a big one, no doubt. If he was, she'd bolt. Well, maybe. He'd catch her, most likely. But Naruto wasn't here, anyway. And if she was taken, then most of Konoha would come after her. Angry Fox Boy and Copy-nin would be at the front, not to mention an enormously temperamental blonde Hokage…

Itachi stared at her for a few moments, then answered with his reply. "I believe I told you, Sakura. I am only here for a mere conversation. That is all. Or did you forget that?"

Sakura did recall him saying that… it was after he told her he wasn't here to fight her on any circumstance. But he was a missing-nin _and_ in one of the most evil associations in the ninja realm. How was she supposed to trust his word like that? Wait, she just thought he wasn't the type to lie. Crap. What was she supposed to think? She opted to stay on guard, just to be safe. True, he hadn't hurt her yet. True, everyone in the bar was still in one piece and not in some topsy-turvy world where only red and black existed. True, he was seemingly amiable. True, he didn't seem like some fanatic ninja who killed damn near all his clan…

But Sakura wasn't stupid, alcohol be damned. Speaking of which, two more to go! With that, she motioned for her second to last (hopefully) alcoholic drink. In the meantime, she looked at him. Not just stared, but really _looked at him_. He was devilishly handsome. Her inner self was spot on with that judgment call. He looked incredibly good to her. Clearly that sharingan had side effects of impossible good looks within that clan.

Not fair. Not fair at all.

Sakura's drink came and she put it on the counter. "You're being extremely conversational," she said cautiously, looking at her cup.

"Your attention span must be stunted. I remember you telling me to use words and not that 'smirk crap,' as you put it." She knew he was smirking anyway. She didn't have to look up from her cup to know that. She could feel it, radiating off of him. Even though she was lacking Uchiha encounters over the past years, her arrogance radar was still honed. _They're all such pricks!_

But, she did say be more conversational. Those twenty cups must really be getting to her if she forgot she said that. Good thing she had the tower to keep count.

"Well, I did. Doesn't mean I actually thought you were going to do it. In any assembly between Leaf and you, you were hardly talkative. I fail to see why you are now," she replied thoughtfully.

A pause ensued.

"I didn't choose to talk to them."

Sakura almost threw her head on the counter. _Mind games… he enjoys this_. Somehow, she stayed quiet and didn't move. Apparently, he felt like being Captain Obvious at the time. She picked up her drink, ready to swing it down, but stopped when his voice interrupted the action.

"Sakura, I wasn't always quiet." Itachi's voice was as delicate as a whisper, but slightly more audible. There was no way she didn't hear it. She thought about what he just said. In every report relating to this man, he was filed as anti-social. What was he talking about? He _never_ was verbal. He hardly ever spoke in his fights.

He was probably talking about when he wasn't fighting. Well, how was she supposed to know what he did when he wasn't fighting Leaf nin? When had she ever encountered him when he wasn't on his guard? That's right, she hadn't. What a jerk. So what was she supposed to get out of that comment? Yeah. He wasn't always quiet. And she wasn't always wearing shit-kickin' boots. …Well, she hadn't always worn them… But how would he know unless he saw her back in the academy wearing that atrocious red dress and sandals?

Oh.

Back in the academy. Back when Sasuke was there. Back when he was still in Konoha.

Her eyes widened. Itachi saw this and nodded. He took another quick sip from his drink.

Back in the academy. He would pick Sasuke up often. She remembered seeing the older boy get his younger sibling and carry him off on his back, back to their estate. He was always smiling and chatting with other people who were also picking up their kids. She remembered him talking. He was always pleasant. Polite.

Polite…

He sat with her to keep all the other shinobi away. At least, that was what he had said. She thought he was merely trying to aggravate her. But was that the real reason? His mother's manners instilled in him? She knew Mikoto had enforced etiquette; Sasuke complained all through the academy about it. So, was that why he had done that? What was going on?

He was being polite. Or was he? Sakura didn't know what to think anymore. It seemed like the old Uchiha Itachi was sitting next to her, as opposed to the cold-hearted killer that was after her best friend.

Her head was starting to hurt from all these inferences. She picked up her drink and put it to her mouth, once again. She inhaled its contents and enjoyed the warming sensation it brought on the way down. She roughly put the glass back on the counter and stared at it.

Why was he acting like this? It was just like she remembered him. She may have been just a child, but her mind always noticed things. Especially the boy who came for Sasuke every afternoon in the academy. How could she not? She shuddered, recalling her infatuation with Sasuke, demanding to know everything associated with him. Of course she noticed Uchiha Itachi, who was always with "her Sasuke." _And good thing I grew out of that phase._

But really. Where was the Itachi that she read from files? The cold-hearted killer. The red-eyed demon. The handsome devil who could kill with a look? _Oh, he's handsome, alright… No doubt about that_. It was like he wasn't present at this bar. Unless he was really good at acting. Which wouldn't surprise her either. But she didn't get the impression that he would do that. Talking to her seemed like too much of an effort for the filed Itachi. She thought the Itachi on paper would look in the bar, see her, and turn around. She wouldn't have noticed him. Why did he bother to come in? He knew she was going to have to report this. Why was he doing this?

This seemed sketchy. At least for the Itachi in a folder. The documented Itachi. The recent Itachi.

The old Itachi _would surely_ have come in here and sat with her to prevent those other guys from getting too close. He _would_ have some sort of conversation with her. He _would_ show manners. He _wouldn't_ be deceitful. It was like the other Itachi didn't exist right now.

"Who are you?" She asked slyly. Then put her emptied cup on the tower. One left to go.

She eyed him carefully, looking for any telltale signs. It was hard, though. Her head was starting to sway a little bit and her eyes were losing focus, now that the alcohol was making its due.

Of course, the alcohol was also clearing her mind of logical thought and thus, it began making ridiculous conjectures. Her and Inner Sakura started conversing again. _What if the old Itachi was here?_ Well, then, where did the recent one go? _Poof_. _Maybe he never existed._ You did say he was good at acting. _Something's not right. There's more to him than we think._

Surely that was it. Or alcohol talking. Whatever.

Itachi picked up his glass again, and inverted it, fully consuming its contents. He then reached over and placed it on the top of her tower. She watched him the entire time.

He looked at her, threw coins on the counter, stood up, and motioned for her to follow. "I believe, you are done drinking, now that your… pyramid… is complete. Are you not? I shall escort you out, as to keep the other men away."

Sakura was still looking at her tower. He finished it for her. She had one left to go! Maybe it was because he owed her when she broke the other cup… Yeah. Could be. There was the Polite Itachi again… She shook her head, looked at him, put down her considerable amount of coins, and stood up.

"Yes, thank you… I suppose." She had gone in a full circle. Feeling obligated to say something, but what did you say to this man? Especially now, when she was close to embracing the fact there was something wrong with his story from all those years ago…

They walked to the door, which he opened for her, and held it open, while she walked out. This was getting weird…

"Remember, Sakura, what the Copy-nin always told you. Look underneath the underneath. And please, drink more safely." And with that, Itachi disappeared.

Damn. He was fast. Or she was slow. Or both. But now, Sakura was incredibly confused. _And drunk. _She thought she knew about him, from the files… Now, she had no clue. Though she was going to sift through those old documents when she got back, no doubt. Something was up with that massacre. Things just didn't add up.

She looked back at the bar. Then to the direction where home lay: to Konoha. She lifted up her foot to make a step. Then quickly brought it back down to the ground, with a wobble. _Oh dear, walking is going to be a much better choice than running_.

Sakura shook her head. She had made up her mind and set a task for herself. She would figure it out. She always did.

* * *

So, how was it?

-Kiwi


	2. Dashur

Wow. Shall we see what happens? Just as a head's up, this isn't going to go along the root of the manga... Really. But we already knew that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Sakura took her sweet time to reach the gates of her beloved Konoha. It wasn't because she felt like admiring the scenery and all the wonders of the forest… No, she had been drunk for a good portion of the way home.

Maybe drunk was exaggerating, though. True, running was completely out of the question, and that left walking to be the plan of action. Sakura wanted nothing more than to stay in that stupid Border town where that stupid bar was for a night to wear off the alcohol, but after that encounter with a missing-nin, going home was priority. Tsunade needed to know.

So, all throughout the night, Sakura had walked and tried to help dispose of the alcohol in her system- yet another little nifty trick from her Shishou. Speaking of which, she really needed to go see her. Now. It was mid-morning, so she knew Shishou would be up and about.

Fully sober, the kunoichi stepped into the village and waved at the Chunnin on guard. With a smile, she put her arm back down to her side and made her way to the Hokage Tower. The walk was short and she began her way up the stairs to her Shishou's office.

Sakura knocked on the door and a voice barked out, "Enter!" Sakura grabbed the door handle and swung the door open.

Tsunade was sitting at her desk, behind stacks of papers, looking grumpy as usual. Sakura wondered how she endured being around this woman so often; the Hokage seemed like only a few more steps away from a rampage and that was never good. Sakura was thankful that she had been around Tsunade so much and now knew to tread lightly when her Shishou was just a few comments away from leveling the forest. Unfortunately, her fox friend never did learn etiquette. And it never ended well.

Upon seeing her favorite student, Tsunade's foul mood dissipated and a smile started to tug at her mouth. She then began to sit up straight in her chair and greeted Sakura back to the village.

"Oh, Sakura! Welcome home, how did you make out with that village?" It didn't take much to notice Sakura's mood could easily become as foul as her master's had been only moments ago… Tsunade noticed her pupil's mouth turn into a frown and her eyes harden. Well, apparently it wasn't thrilling over in Grass, the Hokage noted, belatedly.

"Fantastic." Sakura's sarcasm was still sharp as ever, it seemed.

Tsunade frowned also. "That bad, huh? Tell me what happened." The blonde figured what happened and sure enough, Sakura's next few words confirmed it.

"The village was suffering from a virus, some sort of epidemic. I made an antidote in two days, which was successful. Unfortunately, they had a _few_ other injuries that needed tending to." Sakura leered at her master and snorted. Crossing her arms, she waited for her mentor's next words.

The blonde thought as much had happened to her pupil... She'd been through the same ordeal as well, back in her day. It was highly unpleasant and greedy of a village to take advantage like that, not to mention, it was completely disrespectful. To put all of the strain on one medic…

Tsunade hated those missions where a simple flu turned into a complete restoration of the townspeople. She looked at Sakura and felt pity for her having to endure such trials. It was true that Sakura was incredibly gifted, but it still had to have left her vulnerable and obviously, in a horrific mood. Tsunade sighed, but if she taught her student right, she knew what happened next:

"How much did you drink?"

"Twenty one cups of sake." Sakura had been expecting that question…

The Hokage nodded and smiled, actually. "Glad to hear it. We'll get you up to thirty by your birthday. So, the village was taken care of? Nothing was out of the ordinary?"

"Not at all. Just a virus, no foul play. But there is something else I need to tell you." Sakura took a deep breath and shifted on her feet. This ought to be good…

Tsunade leaned forward, placing both elbows on her desk, and entwining her fingers together, only to rest her chin on them. "Enlighten me," she replied with a nod. The blonde assumed something big went down on the mission… but clearly was unsettling her student. Sakura often came to her for advice or just someone to talk to in general. Tsunade really did love her like a daughter and knew Sakura returned it to her. After all, Sakura's mother passed away many years ago and Tsuande was all she had left. But anyway, hmm. What happened to make Sakura so rattled? Tsunade's eyes danced. She had an idea…

Taking another breath, Sakura began. _Here goes…_ "I was at the bar drinking, alone. I was pretty well into it, too. Men were looking at me, but stopped when someone sat next to me."

Her mentor interjected, "Oh? And who was this man? Please, tell me you met someone good? You could use a man, Sakura. Really. Tell me he was handsome." The Hokage was beaming, with a grin taking over her face.

The pinkette lowered her shoulders almost to the floor. Tsunade wasn't taking her seriously… Sakura wondered how much drinking her teacher had done before she got here. It wasn't even ten o'clock! She'd speak to Shizune about it later.

"Shishou, you're taking this the wrong way," Sakura said tiredly. But she thought about it, none-the-less. "Yeah, he was far more attractive than the other men, but it's not what you think."

"Ok, fine. I won't interrupt this time. But this better be good." The blonder grumbled out. Sakura noticed her mentor suddenly looked disappointed. Well, she wouldn't be for much longer…

Sakura looked her mentor in the eyes and began her story. Starting from the Uchiha telling her to look at him and that he wouldn't kill her, to wanting just to talk, telling her that he wasn't after Naruto, that Kisame wasn't there, and that he wasn't always quiet. Last, his finals words: to follow Kakashi's mantra. Of course, she explained the other minor details of the night. When she had finished, Sakura closed her eyes and opened them, to see her Shishou digesting the information.

It was several moments before Tsunade finally spoke. "Well, I wasn't in the village when the massacre occurred, so I don't really know much about it. But you're right; his personality last night doesn't fit any of the recent reports we have of him. You sure he wasn't drunk?"

"No, Shishou, he wasn't. He was perfectly composed and actually, a complete gentleman. I don't understand it. It was like he had never changed from all those years ago," Sakura replied, shifting her weight.

Tsunade sat back in her chair. She stared at her desk for a few moments, before looking back at her student. With questioning look, she asked, "You sure he didn't hurt you? Touch you or do anything fishy?"

Surprised at such a question, Sakura stated that he hadn't and reiterated that he was a gentleman. In fact, he was more behaved than some other men she knew…

The blonde sat another few moments in silence. Returning her eyes to Sakura's gaze, she shrugged her shoulders and clinically said, "Well, since we're not too sure about what happened between you two, I can't really say what to think. This is, after all, an anomaly in his behavior. However, if it happened again, then I'd have an opinion. But for now, since he housed no threat, which confuses the hell out of me, too, we'll just keep it between ourselves, ok? If he makes contact again, let me know. But if he does get close, be careful. In the meantime, feel free to look at old documents and reports of the massacre. I'll give you permission written on a scroll, so if anyone asks, you're good to go."

Sakura nodded and was about to say a 'thank you,' when her mentor said something else.

"So, he was handsome, eh?"

The young kunoichi blanched immediately.

* * *

After an exhausting chit-chat with her mentor, Sakura finally made it back to her apartment. Dumping her equipment on the floor, her feet beckoned her body to the bathroom. Oh, yes. A shower felt like a lovely idea.

When she finished getting dirt and grime off of her, Sakura decided, _why the hell not?_ and began to fill the tub up with water. Sitting down in the tub, she began to catalog all that happened to her in that bar.

What was going on? That seemed to be the overriding thought in this whole situation. Now sober, Sakura figured she could take a new look at this odd meeting. Sinking down farther into the water, she thought. _Start at the beginning_.

That seemed like a smart thing to do. Alright. So, first of all, why did he come into the bar in the first place? Surely, he sensed her presence inside before even entering the establishment? So… why did he do it? He should have just avoided the bar completely. She could have fought back… _No, you couldn't. You were well on your way to getting drunk_. Ok. So, what then? _He probably sensed you _were_ drunk and figured you housed no threat._

Plausible? Well, it was all she could think of.

But he didn't have to sit next to her. She wouldn't have noticed him, unless he sat next to her. _No, that's not true. You still didn't give a crap until the other men stopped leering at you first. _Then_ you realized he was there_. Truth.

Well, his excuse was that he wanted to sit with her to keep the other men away. _Completely against his recent profile we have of him. But completely like his old self that was in Konoha._ Alright. A point to the old Itachi.

He was conversational._ That's true. And he was being playful!. And at some point, maybe even hints of flirting?_ Whoa. Stop right there. That can't be right. No way. Her inner self clearly imagined that part.

_He totally held the door for you_. That was being a gentleman. Not flirting. _Perhaps. You don't know. But I'll entertain the thought anyway_. Sakura shifted in her tub. There was no way Uchiha Itachi was flirting on any level. She completely missed it, but her inner had picked up hints of it. Whatever. She would not think about that right now. At all.

The most important part of the night seemed to surface now. His final words, "Look underneath the underneath." Ok, there was no arguing with that. He clearly wanted her to figure something out. She wasn't stupid, even when drunk. But why her? What made her so special? This had to be some sort of trick, really. Maybe this really was all some just big, elaborate mind game? God damnit. Stupid Uchihas. Stupid… pricks! Stupid-_handsome_-pricks!

Sakura scorned her inner self for her input.

Sakura got fed up with all this. She stood up from the tub and pulled the drain. Wrapping herself in a towel, she thought about what she was going to do. Tomorrow, she would look at some old documents and try to get an understanding from all that. She'd make her own profile of him. Yeah. That was a plan. She'd even ask Kakashi about him. He had to know something… They were both in Anbu at the same time. Surely her sensei had his own opinion of the renegade elder Uchiha. And maybe she could take a trip to the Uchiha estate. There _definitely_ had to be some valuable information in that place.

Excellent! She had a plan! And besides, she could always get some help from Shikamaru. In what she thought to be an unspoken challenge, the Uchiha never said she couldn't use her friend's help. Sakura wanted to laugh. She'd figure this out, alright!

Walking out of the bathroom and over to her bed, Sakura sat on the edge and collapsed backward, staring up at the ceiling. _You know he _was_ handsome_, her inner squealed. Trying to shut her other self up, Sakura replied back, So what? He was a criminal. It doesn't matter. _Still, it's nice to think about it. Maybe we'll see him again soon?_ Sakura really needed to stop her snorting habit. But she doubted she would see the red-eyed devil again. He must have just been playing some giant mind game. That's all there was to it. _But something still irks you about it all_. Yeah. Something was nagging at her. No question there. That's why she supposed her new-found hobby was going to be everything Uchiha. Well, the elder one. She really didn't give a shit about the other, anymore.

Her mind now went to the younger brother- her first infatuation. In the past few years, she refused to call it her first 'love.' It wasn't love at all. Love was something little kids said, because they wanted to be more grown up. And she was twelve: hormones. Enough said. That was that.

She really didn't care about Sasuke anymore. What he did was his own undoing. His mistakes were his own. She decided to give up on him long ago. Sasuke was still out there somewhere… Whatever. The cocky jerk was hell-bent on trying to find his brother. Sakura laughed at the irony. She certainly found the elder brother with no problem at all. _Technically, he found you_.

But while Sakura moved on, Naruto still hadn't, refusing to let his best friend stray away from him. Sakura wondered when it was finally going to settle in on her teammate. Sasuke didn't want to be found and Sasuke liked it that way.

The kunoichi didn't deny she wouldn't mind having him back in Konoha. But there would be a strict leash on him, no doubt. Nowhere near as short as his brother's… but it would still be there. She would still talk to Sasuke and be polite, have old Team Seven dinners, and complain about Kakashi still being time-retarded and skimping out on the bill…

But that was it. She harbored no other feelings than that. A teammate and friend. That was all he was to her now. Nothing more.

Enough of that. Sasuke was gone. Somewhere. She had more pressing matters to think about. So, Sakura switched from her long lost teammate to focus on the person who Sasuke was trying so hard to kill. She supposed the two brothers did look similar… but yet they were so vastly different. Sakura didn't really know how to describe it. In a word, she decided, Itachi was _smooth_, while Sasuke was clearly _rough_ around the edges. The elder just seemed so much more put together.

And that was scary. He knew how to think.

She shook her head. Sasuke _was_ good at thinking strategy... But it really wasn't his forte. He was brawn. Itachi was brains. Yes, the elder brother was certainly more cunning…

She supposed that was what made Itachi so lethal, in some way. Not the Sharingan. Not his speed. His mind. Oh, she didn't want to think about all that was going on up there in his head. She always did believe the strongest were the most cunning. Out smarting one's opponent is real strength. Taking advantage of others, because they are weak? No challenge there. But that would be what Sasuke did. He didn't care who got in his way. His ends justified his means. And those means only served him and whatever he wanted at the moment. He never cared about anyone except himself. But one of his biggest faults was that he never thought things through, completely. Like when he challenged her brother in that hotel when he was twelve.

Dumb.

Clearly Sasuke's hamartia was his pride. It would bite him in the ass again someday, but still, she gave him the benefit of the doubt. Yes, he was smart, but not _Itachi smart_.

A real challenge is the ability to think… but not everyone could do it. Hell, a prime example was probably at Ichiraku, most likely yelling for his nineth bowl. She didn't think Naruto would ever figure out the whole 'thinking ahead' thing.

A thought occurred to her… What if Shikamaru and Uchiha Itachi met? Oh dear. That would be interesting. Well, she had to hand it to herself; she wasn't stupid either. She was smart and the Uchiha certainly thought so, as well, that he wanted to deliberately make contact with her. _For reasons still unknown, mind you_. Psh.

She went back to her previous philosophical thoughts… yeah, Sasuke thought in the present. Itachi seemed to think in the future. And that was by far harder- a much more difficult trait to attain. In that first pause of the conversation, Itachi had planned out every possible answer to give to any possible question she might ask. How did he do it? Meh. Shikamaru figured it out, too, she supposed. But Shikamaru wasn't who she was supposed to be thinking about...

Yeah, the smart ones were certainly who she always figured she had to watch out for. And Uchiha Itachi was a genius. This was going to be difficult.

Sakura sat back up on her bed. She _wasn't_ stupid. She _would_ figure this out.

Somehow.

He had given her the impetus to begin. Now she just had to put all the information together. He clearly thought she was able to do such a task. But why? Surely he had waited long enough before doing this kind of action? Well, she didn't need to know that at the moment. She had research to do later today.

The young kunoichi stood up and began getting dressed. It was almost noon and with nothing better to do, she figured she may as well begin with the records department. It was midday, she was exhausted from traveling all night, but the last thing she needed was go to sleep now and screw up her body clock. She'd pulled all-nighters before, so this was not anything new to her. Just a few more hours, and she'd call it an early night. Sakura smiled at the thought of curling up in her bed. Sounded like a plan to her.

Walking to her kitchen, she began to get something to eat. Then, she'd be off to research some documents.

* * *

Itachi was currently running thought Rock country. Noting that there was no one following him, as he did every so often, he returned to his previous thoughts.

Last night, he had made his bold move. His _first_ move in his plan.

Yes, it had been very daring, talking to that Leaf kunoichi. And not just any kunoichi, the Hokage's apprentice, Sasuke's genin teammate, student of the Copy-nin, and friend to the kyuubi.

It had been a dangerous move, but it had to be made.

He had thought for a long time about this… His secret needed to be told. Itachi figured now was the time when his loyalties needed to be exposed. The truth needed to come out. He had actually wanted the truth to die with him, but this was not the case now. Not anymore.

Itachi closed his eyes; he didn't need to see where he was going. He knew well enough, and listened to his cloak flitter as he ran. It was flat ground, anyway.

Yes, it was time. Sasuke hadn't been heard from for several years now. His guess was that Orochimaru had finally gotten his wish, and taken him over. No doubt, his brother had gone down fighting, but now there was a snake parading around the ninja world with eyes that were extremely deadly.

Itachi opened his eyes and held back a smirk. Orochimaru's eyes weren't nearly as dangerous as the ones he held in his own possession…

Coming to terms with his little brother's demise, the elder Uchiha gave up on his long-term goal. Clearly, it wasn't going to happen. The lack of his brother's presence knotted something close to his heart, and a change in plans was in order. And fast.

There was no way Orochimaru was going to keep his brother's body for much longer. Not if he had anything to do with it.

And he will. He would take down Orochimaru, but not as an Akatsuki. No, the charade was up. There was no need to keep it a secret now. He had sacrificed so much and now the gods decided not to have granted the wish he so desired.

When Itachi realized his brother wouldn't be coming for him, he gave up. There was no point in hiding as a criminal now. It had been a difficult choice, but in the end, he decided it was time to fulfill the duty of his last mission as a Konoha ninja. It was the least he could do in these circumstances. Maybe he had repented long enough? Did he deserve his own happiness now?

He hoped so. The way he looked at his situation back all those years ago and how he did now were entirely different. Yes, he would have made the same decision that fateful night. But now, he realized, he too, deserved to live in some way. And that way was to go back home. Then he'd come for Orochimaru. He'd give peace to Sasuke in that way.

But he couldn't just waltz back into Konoha and announce the truth from all those years ago… No way would he be taken seriously. He'd be apprehended quickly (he wouldn't try to run), and he knew Ibiki would be excited to question him. What Itachi needed was a detour back into the village.

He needed someone to uncover what really happened. Well, not completely, but a helpful nudge in the right directions. With a few helpful hints from yours-truly along the way.

Yes, he couldn't do this alone. Someone on the inside was needed. His word against the preconceptions of the village was not going to hold up.

He had been wondering who to entrust this task to for quite some time. Then last night, passing through Grass country, he passed a bar. And who should be inside but the Hokage's apprentice?

He stood nearby the bar for quite some time. She hadn't noticed him, yet. _She must be drinking or thinking deeply about something_, he thought and began plotting himself.

She was the Hokage's student. Excellent medic. Genin member of Kakashi's cell and teammate of his little brother and the fox container. She was well-loved and brilliant.

He knew about her, probably more than she could believe. Akatsuki certainly kept tabs on her- she did kill Sasori... And that merited attention.

She could heal and destroy with the same hand; the choice was up to her. Itachi had weighed his options. Should he choose her? He believed she was up to the task. But then, maybe he should wait to meet that Nara boy? Itachi mentally shook his head. No, that wouldn't do. His Intel told him that Nara Shikamaru was lazy. A genius, but had to be practically pushed to do everything. The Nara would figure it out, but not for his own gain. No, the Nara would only do it if threatened by the Hokage, most likely.

Yes, the kunoichi would do fine. She was friends with the Nara and would most assuredly help her. He could do that. And the girl would do a lot by herself. Yes, she would be perfect. She had connections everywhere. With his thoughts complete, Itachi walked inside to make his move.

The first thing he had seen was her sitting by herself, with a large tower of cups next to her on the counter. She must really have been out of it. How could she not? There had to have been at least fifteen cups standing on top of each other. But she should have noticed his entrance… Surely, she would have sensed him by now? Itachi's faith in her dipped down slightly, until he noticed her chakra depletion and tired face. She had been through something physically straining, it seemed. She clearly wanted to get drunk at this point in time. Itachi was about to reconsider his choice, but halted his decision when he noticed she still wasn't lost to alcohol; she really was alert. Just not to him, but to the other shinobi in the establishment.

His manners kicked in. He knew what he needed to do. But how would she react?

He slid on the stool next to her and noticed the men immediately stopped looking and talking about her. He almost smirked. As the bartender came, he ordered sake. He guessed seeing the girl next to him drinking so many of the drink caused a desire to have a few himself. The other men started whispering to each other. Glad to know even in this run down bar, those shinobi knew he was a threat, brought a smirk to his face.

Personally, he thought he didn't look very threatening. He wasn't overtly tall, only slightly above average. He wasn't incredibly muscular or had a gruff voice. He didn't have some huge weapon strapped to his back. The simple answer was that his dark aura seemed to follow him around, practically screaming "stay away." And it seemed just now, the kunoichi was taking a notice in him.

It was probably because she noticed the arousal level in the bar dropped down quickly through the floor. He knew she was trying to take a peek at him without giving it away and pretended not to notice just to indulge her. He had deliberately sat to her left so she could easily see his ring on his right hand as he reached out to receive his drink.

He could feel her panic, but not see it. He knew he needed to gain some ground with her. Make her know that he knew that she knew who he was.

One word was all it took: "Kunoichi."

And then his plan began.

Itachi knew her curiosity had been piqued. He finally gave up the quiet, emotionless killer, and acted like he always wanted to: his natural personality. It was a brief break in the charade. He had to admit, she was quite entertaining, actually. It seemed she didn't care who he was and was perfectly ok with dropping sarcastic remarks all throughout the conversation. It was a change, very much welcomed, even if it was alcohol induced.

He had looked over at the stack of cups, noticing that her pyramid was almost complete. He decided he needed to end the conversation soon. After telling her with subtlety to look into his past, he placed his own cup on her tower, and declared it time to leave for both of them.

He saw her look of utter confusion when he stated he would walk out with her, just to keep the men away. He also saw her become completely astounded as he held the door out for her. It was nice to behave like his old self. His mother would be proud, he supposed.

His mother…

His heart twisted. Now was not the time to think about his poor mother. No. Itachi remembered giving the kunoichi one last cryptic statement, then disappearing into the night.

Yes. His plan was in motion. Surely, he would set things right. His secret was really starting to kill him on the inside, emotionally. It would be nice to have someone to talk to about it. But then, he'd always been alone. Except for his brother. But now, he was completely sure that even his beloved little brother was gone.

Itachi turned his eyes to the outline of mountains in the distance, his feet still running along the dirty ground in Rock country.

He guessed he would give the kunoichi a little while to work things out for a bit; she was probably confused in every direction considering all that had happened to her. But at least he had now set the ball rolling.

He would see her soon. He didn't know how, but he guessed he could find a way. It wouldn't be too difficult, he supposed. Then, when he saw her, another little nugget of information would be given to her. It would probably send her reeling.

Itachi checked again to see no one was following him and was satisfied to see it was clear. It was always so much easier to enjoy life without people chasing after him. He hated fighting other shinobi, he really did, but he had no choice. Itachi had to keep going for the sake of what he needed to accomplish. Though, he never killed them. Never. His pursuers never deserved that. He did teach them a lesson about his possible lethality, though.

The elder Uchiha was thrilled. On the inside. His plan was finally going into action. If it worked, then he could finally live peacefully without having to run every day. Constantly looking over your shoulder tended to get boring and tedious rather quickly.

In the meantime, he thought back to the pink-haired Konoha kunoichi that he had trusted his future to. He hoped she wouldn't disappoint him. But something told him that she was more than capable of completing this task. At last, he agreed with his gut instincts. It was too late to change what he had done now. She would have to be the one. But he knew somehow, that she could do it…

Itachi hoped that his sins had finally been repented for. He hoped that all his suffering was enough to pay for what he had done. Every day, he wished he could have avoided that night, but it seemed the massacre was the only way out. Itachi stopped moving and stared at the ground. He wished he could have lived differently but what was done was done.

That little pink-haired kunoichi. Sakura was going discover what truly happened that night. His unfortunate life. His choice. His sadness. His loneliness.

But that little pink-haired kunoichi would put things right. He sadly thought he could finally go back home, which was now empty. _But still home_. He would become a loyal ninja again. _Well, on paper._ And then he would give Sasuke the peace he needed. And in the process, Orochimaru would meet the fate he so much deserved.

That little pink-haired kunoichi.

Sakura.

She had no idea how much he was depending on her right now.

* * *

So... is this what you guys were after, or I did mess up royally?

Yes, I'm taking a different turn for Itachi here... I thought it would be interesting, yah?

Let me know, please?  
-Kiwi


	3. Abusir

So the past three days, I've ripped up 720 square feet of carpet, staples in the floor, and taken down wallpaper. Whew.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of its characters. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

This was going nowhere. It was well into the night and Sakura hadn't learned a damn new piece of information for several hours. She had spent her afternoon and evening in the records department looking at every document related to the Uchiha Massacre. She figured that would be a good place to start, knowing what had been written about that night years ago. After all, it was Uchiha Itachi's claim-to-fame above anything else. Screw mastering techniques at a young age. Forget about rising through ninja rankings faster than anybody. Who cared about being called a genius from the get-go?

Apparently, what gave a "holy shit! This guy is strong!" status was to kill your entire clan in one night. Everything else is trivial, supposedly.

Sakura stared at the scroll on the desk in front of her. She gave up reading it; she knew what it would say. After the sixth parchment, she realized no scroll held anything new. The first scroll would carry the same information as the next and the next.

The kunoichi threw her head down on the table. This _sucked_. And was a waste of her time.

She decided to not wait until tomorrow and start collecting research today. What else was she going to do? Exactly. Nothing. Sakura didn't do anything that was considered wasting time. Trivial nonsense just would not be tolerated in her book. Besides, she had stuff to do. "Like look up documents _over fifteen years old_?" Her inner voice suggested.

Sakura sneered at that comment.

Said documents were shoved in the back room of the library, which she had to hunt through. There were piles of scrolls everywhere with no organization whatsoever, which irked her beyond anything else. This was a library! There should be systems and categories! Not just stacks of molding papers thrown about the room. This really got her blood boiling…

Without hope of a filing system, Sakura began her search. That had been a _fabulous_ time; sifting through dust and dirt and mold for over hour just to find the damned pieces of paper. She guessed this room was where they stored scrolls that probably wouldn't be looked at anymore. Who would look at a paper related to a homicide report from over a decade ago? That wasn't even a cold case?

Well, Sakura would. And she found them, all right… scattered everywhere around that back room. So she picked everything up and dropped them on the only table back there and began to read.

And after just thirty minutes, she realized all of them said the same thing. But Sakura was thorough… _Just in case_ one held some spoonful of data that the others didn't possess.

This was dumb. She should have stopped a long time ago and just moved on to her next attack for the facts. Sakura sighed and lifted her head up off the desk. Maybe this one would hold a piece of info that was new?

She scanned it. Familiar phrases immediately started to jump out. Sasuke had came home from the academy one evening. There had been no one in the compound and thus he proceeded to his home. Along the way, bodies littered the ground and finally the boy reached his house. There he found his brother in Anbu attire killing their parents. Thusly, Itachi was believed to be responsible to the rest of the clan's deaths. Well, not to mention the guy was covered in blood stains. That was a big nail to Itachi's coffin…

Sakura yawned. Hooray. Yet another waste of her time. She leaned back in the chair she was sitting in. Before yelling in frustration, words echoed into her mind,

Underneath the underneath, Sakura…

It was time for a new perspective then. Well, if this was what _was_ written, what _wasn't_ written? Sakura almost laughed; Kakashi certainly had rubbed off on her. She'd thank him next time she saw him. With newfound confidence, Sakura narrowed her eyes, grabbed a pen and paper, and began jotting down notes. She'd dissect these reports like the bodies she'd autopsied. Inner Sakura commented on the disgusting simile and told her to get some sleep soon. Shaking her other conscious off, the kunoichi began.

Sasuke came home to an empty estate. Alright. Everyone was dead by this point, supposedly. Except for his parents. Sasuke then saw bodies along the way. Ok. There hadn't been enough time to move them. It was a big clan. People to kill, not time.

The pinkette looked at the document on her desk: there was a death count of 82 Uchiha. _Whoa. That's a lot of people_. Sakura paused. That _was_ a lot of people. Uchiha Itachi really killed them all? He was a genius, after all. Highly skilled and in Anbu, of course.

But 82 people? Really? Sure some had been civilians killed, but there were other ninja clansmen. Sakura looked again: 43 were active ninja. Wow. How did he do that? He must have had the Mangekyou sharingan by that point. But still, he killed 82 people in that short amount of time? But even with the Mangekyou, 43 members of the clan had sharingan eyes.

Sakura's gut feelings churned. This was absurd. There was no way. How did people miss this? Even the highest level of sharingan, which Uchiha Itachi may have possessed by this point, wouldn't defeat so many standard level sharingan so quickly. And Uchiha were _not_ wimpy fighters. They kicked ass and took names.

How was this possible? If Itachi did have the Mangekyou, how long did he have it? Probably not long, she guessed. People would have figured something out. New techniques just don't go unnoticed like that. _Wonder how he got to that stage_… She'd figure that out later, and marked it on the paper. In the mean time, she gave him the benefit of the doubt: He had the Mangekyou Sharingan.

But that wouldn't kill off 43 clansmen in less than an hour or two and without wreaking destruction on the estate. How…? Sharingan battles always ended in some type of re-landscaping. Besides, what if someone else in the clan had the mangekyou? _Hmm!_ That would be catastrophic! Surely people in the village would have noticed something and stopped the killing?

Then again, she really didn't know much about the Mangekyou. Kakashi's had a different attack then Itachi's, so she was lost as to what powers they held. But she did know the elder Uchiha possessed some type of fire technique and intense genjutsu, thought they had to be incredibly taxing on him to perform. After each use, Kakashi always ended up in the hospital. And, she knew that Itachi was going blind. Maybe that was the price for the Mangekyou's use?

Using this knowledge, Sakura guessed that Itachi would have killed maybe half those people and collapsed from using those techniques. From Kakashi's experience, they were just so draining… and continuation of use would just weigh more heavily on the user… Yes, half of the clan was more likely. He could take down twenty something clansmen. Civilians weren't a threat at all. But what about the other half…?

It came to her… he did kill the clan. But he could not kill all of it. Therefore… _Someone else was there._ It was the only way to take down so many people in so little time and not collapse or show fatigue. Sakura froze.

_Oh god_.

This was bad. If she was right, then he didn't do this alone. There could be at least _two_ killers out there, maybe more.

_Look underneath the underneath, Sakura._ Feet firmly planted on the ground, she began to think. He had help. But why? And who?

_Wait, why did he do this in the first place?_ She didn't know that answer yet, and wrote that question also on the paper she had.

Ok, who helped him? Well, she didn't know that either, but whoever helped him had to be amazing… No one detected their presence… And Itachi had deliberately waited for Sasuke to come home to see him kill their parents. Clever. It was a good cover up, she guessed. Stall Sasuke and implant the notion it was entirely his brother's doing, while the accomplice got away… Yes, this could work…

So… the accomplice or accomplices were skilled. They had to be, to go up against the Uchiha clan… That left a civilian out of the question. It had to be someone with a very powerful kekkai genkai. Alright! Now she was getting somewhere. Just wait until she shared her theory with Tsunade! But it was all circumstantial… Oh well. That never stopped anybody. What else was there to do?

Sakura just realized she knocked Uchiha Itachi down a few notches on his stupid ass pedestal. If she saw him again, she'd rub it in his face. And _smirk_ at _him_. Irony was fun.

Whoever helped him was skilled, with a powerful bloodline limit. Now where did she go from here…? Her next step would be to find his old reports when he was a captain and try to analyze him from there… Yes, a profile. Then she's visit Kakashi. He'd have an opinion. Then perh-

"Forehead!"

Sakura dropped her pen and groaned. She was on a _roll_. Then her friend just _had_ to come, didn't she?

"Yeah, pig?" Sakura called back and looked up from the desk.

Ino stood a few feet away from the table the pink-haired kunoichi was sitting at. Hands on her hips and leaning forward, Ino addressed her friend.

"Sakura. We're going out drinking. Now." The demand was clear.

"Really? Ino, I've got so much work to do." Sakura reasoned, she didn't really feel up to it at the moment. She was drinking herself stupid just last night!

Ino looked at her friend, surrounded by dusty scrolls and parchments. Changing tactics, Ino tried again, "What 'cha reading there, Sakura?"

"Oh, just some old scrolls," the pinkette replied nonchalantly. Ino didn't fall for it.

"Bullshit. What is it?" Ino threw a chair out from under the table and sat down in it.

Sakura really hated it when her best friend was so blunt. "How did you find me?" she asked.

Ino decided to play along, she'd win in the end, anyway. "You just got back from a mission. You weren't home, Naruto didn't drag you to Ichiraku, so the next stop was here. Duh." Well, that was certainly true.

Sakura realized she wasn't going to win tonight. With one last try to get away from more drinking, she answered, "Ino, please. I just got back from a mission, I drank last night, I'm tired, and -"

"And the first thing you do is look up old scrap paper in the records department?" Ino exclaimed. "Really, Sakura, you obviously can't be that tired. In fact, you look more frustrated than anything. Did you not find what you were looking for? And I don't care if you drank last night. You look sober now and that's a problem we need to fix. Besides, it's been so long since we've had a girl's night out. Move it." Ino stood up from her chair and pointed toward the door.

The pink-haired kunoichi figured she should not have opened her mouth that last time. Packing up all the scrolls, and placing them neatly in one stack in the room, she followed her friend outside. As Ino began chatting about if any good men were going to be in the bar, Sakura realized this was not going to be anything like last night.

* * *

Ino and Sakura walked into a local bar with linked arms, several streets down from the records department. Immediately, some of the male customers swiveled their heads around to double check the dynamic duo had entered.

It was no secret that Ino and Sakura were beautiful. In fact, Hinata would have the same adoration from men if she wasn't already Naruto's girlfriend. Ergo, the bachelorettes Yamanaka and Haruno were top of the wanted list in Konoha. Sakura hated this fact, Ino loved it.

After seeing the sudden attention on them, Ino immediately waved and yelled a "Hi, everyone!" and began to drag a nervous Sakura to the bar. They both sat down on a stool and Sakura wished she hadn't come. It was like last night; she could feel the stares of everyone else, only this time she knew them or knew that they were from Konoha. But she still didn't appreciate it. _Too bad your dark prince isn't here to save you this time_. Inner Sakura said casually… Sakura answered back that he wasn't a prince and to shut the hell up. She completely pushed the older Uchiha out of her mind when the bartender came around and asked for drinks.

Sakura and Ino automatically answered "sake," and the bartender left. Moments of silence ensued until Ino opened her big mouth.

"See, Sakura? This isn't so bad. Now tell me about that mission you just took." The bartender came back with their drinks, placing them on the counter. Sakura quickly picked hers up and drank it smoothly.

This tasted good…

Sakura flipped her cup upside down and placed it on the counter. Ino had drunken her cup just as fast, but the blonde just put the glass haphazardly back on the counter. Ino called for two more cups.

Sakura decided she may as well enjoy herself as she had leave for awhile and no hospital duties, either. Tsunade claimed after the mission, the pinkette needed a break. Sakura was thankful.

"There was an outbreak in Grass country. Their village wouldn't supply help, so they called Konoha in. Unfortunately, they didn't have any local doctors, so any previously healed injuries were dangerous. I ended up putting the whole town back in shape." Sakura breathed out, rather bitterly.

The drinks came and they didn't last long. Sakura inverted her cup, placing it next to the other one. Ino put her own on the counter and pushed it away.

The bartender nodded at the girls. He understood to just keep bringing the sake over; they would let him know when to stop.

Ino looked at her friend. "That sucks. Did you fix the epidemic, though?"

"Yup. It wasn't that difficult. It was just an awful week. Now I know why Tsunade hates those kind of missions. They're just so exhausting…" she sighed. Ino nodded. More drinks came. They disappeared just as fast. Sakura now had a small pyramid of three cups. Ino's were just shoved around the counter.

Ino and Sakura made small conversation for some time. Sakura's tower soon became quite large… with the base of six cups: Twenty-one glasses total. This was where she had stopped last night. Sakura debated about added another seven cups, scaling it to twenty eight, in sum. Ino herself was around cup eighteen, but clearly feeling more of the alcohol. Either way, the two petite kunoichi were far surpassing the other's expectations for tolerance.

Ino opened her mouth, "Where do you think he is, anyway…." She trailed off. Sakura instantly knew who she was talking about. Seven more cups was immediately decided.

Like Sakura, Ino had given up on Sasuke. However, Ino was always wondering what had happened to him. True, both kunoichi had moved on, but Ino just liked knowing what was happening. Sakura didn't give a damn about her former teammate and Ino didn't understand that. Ino thought Sakura would at least be _curious_ as to Sasuke's current life, but she wasn't. Sakura had blocked him out completely.

Ino was just… curious. She liked to know things about people. She _loved_ gossip. But the fact no one had heard about the younger Uchiha in two years was quite unsettling. What the hell had happened to him? If he had been killed, surely they would have known by know… Shit, the guy was in the Bingo book… But really, where did he go?

Sakura added the seventh cup to her pyramid base. Six more for the layer were needed. Deciding to answer her friend's question, she started, "I don't know, Ino, I really don't. Nor do I care and you know that. He doesn't want anyone to know, so he won't let us. It's kind of how a missing-nin lives, Ino. That's the whole point."

Ino wanted to know why Sakura didn't care, but every time she asked, Sakura just stated she had moved on. Ino's guess was that Sasuke's defect from Konoha earned her a harsh look at reality. People weren't always who you thought they were. Sakura valued trust and the cocky bastard shattered it. But, that was just what Ino guessed. But she did agree that Sasuke _just didn't want to be found_. He was probably plotting revenge still. Or being ravaged by that ugly redhead who was always following him. Seriously, if Ino thought Sakura and her had been fangirls… that Karin had her own level dedicated to her.

The blonde didn't deny that Sasuke had been attractive and thus, easily understood Karin's undying devotion and interest in the moody Uchiha spawn. He really had been eye-catching to the estrogen population. Ino knew where he got it from; she saw his mother when they all had been younger. Sometimes, Uchiha Mikoto would come into her parent's flower shop.

She was beautiful.

There had been no question that Uchiha Sasuke had gotten her attractive features. From what she recalled, Uchiha Fugaku was a little…_rough_ around the edges. Ino thought about it… Now that she was focused on it, Sasuke _did_ have a lot of his father in him, personality wise and somewhat physical. She supposed Sasuke was a… rugged attractive. Not a handsome attractive. There was a difference.

Ino's eyes wandered to Sakura; she had placed another cup on her pyramid… Why did she do that? Ino just got her empty cups out of the way; it wasn't like she was going to use them again.

Then her eyes brightened… Sasuke had a _brother_… and she'd seen his file…

"Sakura, do you think Uchiha Itachi is kinda sexy?" Ino drawled out, sliding her finger around the rim of one of her glasses.

Sakura stalled in drinking her third cup. This couldn't be good.

Ino saw her friend stutter in her lifting her sake glass. Wicked satisfaction danced across her face. She _knew_ Sakura had seen his file, too!

The blonde had seen Itachi's profile picture… and yes, he was a criminal… but hot _damn_. That man was dangerously good-looking. Ino had put him on her Bad Boy list. But what did her pink-haired friend think? Clearly something about him. Ino figured anyone would see Uchiha Itachi was delicious. No female wouldn't.

Uchiha Itachi… was handsome attractive. Good god, those two brothers were impossibly fine…

Sakura had decided to stay quiet. After this much alcohol, it would be better than to let something slip. She threw back the cup into her mouth and swallowed its contents in one fell swoop.

Ino noticed her friend wasn't talking. That was ok. She'd do talking for her. Who knows what she would find? Sakura eventually opened up her mouth and let words come out when she was drunk enough...

"I mean, I've seen his picture in the files… He's a danger to any female. You'd have to be crazy to not be entranced by his good looks…" Ino began. Sakura didn't move. No luck there. Ino kept going.

"When you think about it, him and his brother probably got all the good looks in Konoha. Let's be honest, really. But I'd say, Sasuke takes more after her father, where Itachi has more of his mother's features." The blonde pried on.

The pink-haired medic stayed quiet… _She's trying to provoke you… Just take another drink_. Sakura suddenly realized the frightening similarity between tonight and last night. She was going to do something stupid any moment know…

Ino pressed on… "But you know, I bet with his handsome face, he could have anyone he wanted… He's probably had a lot of women."

Sakura's face was burning… _Stay calm! For your sanity! Stay calm!_

The blonde knew she was hitting a nerve with that comment… Sakura's face was turning red! How she loved doing this to her poor friend…

"It's too bad," Ino said innocently. "He's too good-looking for his own good. And he's a missing-nin. He probably has his way with women and leaves them before they wake up in the morning. He thinks he's so high and mighty, that chivalry is beneath him."

"He's not."

Ino smirked. _There it was_. Hmm, what had she stumbled on, now?

"Oh? Why do you say that, Sakura?" Ino mused.

Sakura instantly regretted saying those words. Now look what she had gotten into! _Think before you speak! Please!_

"Because I met him last night," she spewed out. _Great. Ino is going to have a field day with this. You really should stop drinking. This is all Shishou's fault. Such a bad habit…_

Ino almost fell out of her chair. _What_ had happened? She hadn't been expecting _that_ answer. She couldn't wait to get her hands on this…

"Wait, what?" Ino exclaimed, throwing her hands up.

"I said, I met him last night, while I was drinking. Now will you please be quiet? People are looking over!" Sakura glared. "Don't worry, Tsunade knows. And he's nothing like we all think he is." Sakura sighed. She gave up. Another drink went down her throat, placing the empty glass on her pyramid. There was no saving her now. Might as well let Ino in on her adventure last night.

The blonde blinked. "Really?" Sakura nodded. Ino had to know something, though. "Is he as sexy as we all think he is?"

The pinkette had been expecting that one and there was no point in hiding it… "Yes, Ino. He is quite handsome. And he was actually a perfect gentleman to me." Sakura drawled out, rather matter-o-factly. She needed to end this fast. Sakura looked at her pyramid. She had three left. Her mind was still functioning well, but for some reason, it wasn't connecting with her mouth. This would take a bad turn if Ino kept prying.

Ino kept prying.

"He did? What happened? He didn't hurt you? He... was _nice_?" Ino was nothing short of astounded.

Sakura took another sake cup and gulped it down. "Yup. Sasuke picked up a few traits from him. And he smirks like a jackass. He sat with me because other men kept looking at me. He put it as, 'indulging my presence to prevent something unfortunate happening.' He's a prick, but he's nothing like we thought. He was actually acting like he did when he was still in Konoha… Not a cold-blooded killer. It's confusing." Sakura replied.

Ino put two and two together. "So… in the library… you were looking up things about him…"

Sakura nodded. "The Uchiha massacre." Sakura drank another sake. One more…

The mind-jutsu user couldn't hold back anymore. "That's it? He was a gentleman? Sakura. You should have _jumped_ his fine looking ass. _I_ would have. Who cares if he's a wanted criminal?" Ino yelled out, drunkenly.

Sakura decided to forgo finishing her tower. It was time to leave. Half the bar was looking at them now… Yeah, it was time to go. She quickly threw coins on the counter and started making her way to the door. She knew Ino wouldn't be able to run after her.

"Good bye, Ino! Thanks for the evening out. I'll see you later!" Sakura said quickly and was almost to the door, when she heard Ino's voice after her.

"Sakura! How could you walk away from him! You _need_ to get laid!"

Ino's yelling immediately turned every non-committed shinobi's gaze on Sakura. Sakura blushed profusely and exited the door promptly. Hopefully none of the men would follow her home.

* * *

Thankfully, Sakura made it to her apartment unscathed. Her guess was that the single men started to go after Ino after the dangerous pinkette had left. Sakura supposed this was why men never went after her. She snorted. Yup, she could kick them all to the curb _and they knew it_. It was common knowledge Sakura had picked up Tsunade's vile temper and dangerous fists. If Sakura didn't like something, it was clearly known.

Sakura immediately started the alcohol digesting process. The last thing she wanted was a hangover tomorrow morning… Now that she had finally stopped moving and could actually just sit down and relax, she realized how tired she was.

Sakura didn't think she'd make it much longer staying conscious.

Getting ready for bed, she reflected on what she had done today: she had discerned that there was a possibility Uchiha Itachi was not alone in completing the massacre. What she didn't know what why he did it and who helped him. But whatever help he had was probably just as dangerous and skilled.

Then she had decided to get drunk at a bar, in which Ino found out that she had met the older Uchiha sibling _and admitted that he was attractive_, Inner Sakura supplied.

Whatever. He was. There was no question about that. Sakura shoved the thought to the back of her mind. Why did her other conscious keep bringing that up, anyway? Yeah, he was handsome. So what? It certainly wasn't affecting her right now. She knew too many good-looking men to be distracted by that. Sakura started making a mental list: Sasuke was on it of course, Uchiha's seemed to have something in their blood. Hell, even Naruto must have something because Hinata loved him so much. Sakura had to admit, Kakashi certainly was charming. The Kazekage, Gaara, definitely had something going for him, too.

So, Sakura knew a lot of devastatingly handsome men. "Take that, Uchiha Itachi. Your Uchiha traits aren't going to work on me," she said to herself, with a sneer. In fact, Sakura would rather have him on the receiving end of her sarcasm than more anything else. Unfortunately, he enjoyed it. _Yeah, what's up with that_?

She was going to put him down a few notches if she saw him again. She figured she would… After that ordeal at the bar, his arrogance practically radiated the fact he had everything planned out. Sakura realized Uchiha Itachi loved flaunting his power. But in the littlest amount possible. He didn't need to show his physical strength. No, he knew the way to pick at the pink-haired kunoichi was to do it verbally and mentally.

Sakura suddenly found her favorite synonym for Uchiha Itachi was _prick_. It seemed to fit him rather nicely, she thought.

Yet another difference between the brothers… Sasuke only knew physical power. He never played the mind games or verbal attacks. Well, his mind game was to ignore you. His verbal attack was that stupid, non-committal "hn."

Sakura scowled at those thoughts. Somehow, she found herself much rather being in the elder's company than the younger if given the choice.

_That's stupid_._ You can't base that off of only one meeting with him. We still don't know what his deal is yet._ Yet another truth from her inward companion.

Sakura's only guess for her previous thought was that the brothers were such a contrast to each other. She had figured out Sasuke. She wanted to pick apart Itachi, but he was a lot more difficult…

Sasuke was around her for several years. She had nothing on the older brother, save for their one meeting last night. Sakura liked knowing how people ticked. Their mannerisms. Their thought processes. To a medic, it was absolutely fascinating. Yes, the prick was going to be a challenge.

_If you ever see him again_. Sakura snorted. She told her inner self, 'you know he's got this figured out. He's going to make contact somehow. He started this whole game, anyway.'

That shut Inner Sakura up.

Sakura suddenly thought back to the bar with Ino. She had only one cup left to go and her pyramid would be complete… That nagged at her somewhere. She hated leaving things unfinished.

She decided that in order for her to forget about the unfinished tower, she would work extra hard tomorrow. If she did see the arrogant fool again, she wanted to be prepared and send him flying on his ass with all she knew. Sakura figured that was how she was going to win this game. Not physically, but mentally. She was willing to bet that he was underestimating her. 'Well, let's see what he thinks after all I have planned to do,' she thought confidently.

Tomorrow, she'd find Kakashi. He would probably have a bundle of information about the elusive Anbu-turned-rogue. They were on the force together... yeah, Kakashi would _have_ to know something.

Then after that, she'd scope out the abandoned Uchiha estate. She couldn't wait for that. She remembered that she had always wanted to go inside those walls… Well, she would soon.

Now dressed for bed, Sakura crawled into it. Her bed was softer than she had remembered… But perhaps that was because she was just so tired. Stupid Grass village.

Or maybe it was because of the sake. Stupid Ino.

It could be because she had traveled all night and had now been up for more than 24 hours. Stupid Sakura.

She had done a lot of work today. And a goddamned dark-haired villain decided to appoint himself to task of giving her more work and pissing her off last night. Stupid Prick.

Sakura sighed. Sasuke and his obnoxious older brother weren't alike at all in personality. Perhaps a few mannerisms… but she realized they really couldn't be anymore different.

Anger suddenly heated through the kunoichi's body. The next time someone with red eyes smirked at her… she'd break their foot. The next 'hn' she heard, she'd growl at them and bare teeth.

Realizing that getting upset wasn't going to let sleep overcome her, Sakura tried to calm down. She hoped Ino was ok… She shouldn't have left her like that. Sakura tried to comfort herself by saying Ino was fine. Ino wasn't weak…

Sakura hated that word. She stopped herself before going on her internal rant. _Not now. Don't think about that. You need sleep_. Sakura sighed. Her inner self was right. This was not the time for chastising herself.

The young medic suddenly found herself worrying about Ino again, but for an entirely different reason. Ino knew what happened last night… Oh dear. How many people were going to know by tomorrow? What rumors was her blonde friend going to spread? Ino was drunk and knew information. This was not a good combination. _Stop it. You're not helping yourself. You're just worrying too much. You need sleep more than anything right now… After the week you had, how are you still conscious, anyway?_

Sakura suddenly found herself wondering that very thought. She needed sleep. As a medic, she knew she seriously needed it right now.

Sakura shifted in her blankets. She made up her mind. Tomorrow, she's talk to her porn-addicted sensei. Then, if she had time, she would go to the Uchiha compound. No… wait… scratch that. She really could use some good-old fashioned destruction. Yes. It'd been a week since she had pounded anything flat. Maybe Kakashi would be up to it? Even Tsunade loved a good spar every now and then… Yes. That was a lovely idea. With those thoughts in mind, Sakura suddenly stopped being upset about of leaving the unfinished pyramid back in the bar.

She quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Not quite so action-packed.. But hey, Sakura can't figure everything out in one sitting, can she?

And about how Konoha knows about Karin, while Orochimaru might still be alive? You'll see.

Huzzah for plot development.

So, how was it?

-Kiwi


	4. Saqqara

Anyone who reads the manga get all excited at the end of chapter 477? I got hopeful... Then the next chapter came out and I was oh-so-sad. That was utterly cruel.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of its characters. Those characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Loud knocking on the apartment's front door woke Sakura up. The medic got untangled from her many blankets and lifted herself onto her elbows to glance at her clock. 12:18 p.m. glared back at her. Sakura slumped back into her warm blankets. Moving really wasn't what she felt like doing right now… Whoever was knocking needed to go away.

She had been asleep for practically twelve hours, now… surely she should get up, but Sakura _just didn't want to_. Grabbing a pillow and covering her head with it, she willed the person to leave her be.

The knocking turned into loud banging. Sakura cringed. 'Not know… Please, not him…Not now…' she thought desperately. Only one person roughed her door up like that… She had dents in it to prove it.

A loud cry erupted from behind the front door, "Saaakura-chaaaan!"

Sakura thought quickly. He was going to barge into her apartment soon… Maybe if she rumpled up the blankets and tried to hide herself in them, he'd overlook her? Naruto may have an ancient fox demon in his stomach, but that guy could be pretty dumb sometimes.

She could hear him jimmying with the lock, now. "Sakura-chan, I know you're home. I saw Ino this morning!" the voice carried over the door.

Sakura bolted upright in her bed. Oh shit. Ino. What had her friend done _now_? Whatever it was, she needed to find out.

The pinkette flew out of her tangled covers, yelling to Naruto that'd she be at the door soon. When she got to her front door, she swung it open, and her best friend greeted her.

Naruto was smiling- beaming, actually. He was looking down at her, since he had erupted in height over the years… The blonde was now slightly over six feet tall. Sakura was still quite petite, but while she hated being around such taller men, like Naruto and Kakashi, her boys knew very well she had other ways to make up for her stature.

Size really had nothing to do with anything. Nope. It wasn't size, it was power. And Sakura had hers very much under control. It only took a glare and her teammates would put their hands up in defeat. Another nifty trait from Shishou.

Naruto looked down at his female teammate; she was still in her pajamas, her face was tired, and her hair was completely disheveled. Had she just woken up? It was noon! There were things to do!

The fox boy embraced the medic, causing her to be lifted off the floor. Sakura was not thrilled. She would much rather still be in her bed, which was probably cold by now.

"Sakura-chan, I've missed you! It's been a whole week! How have you been?" Naruto yelled.

"Naruto. Let's say… you broke your arms. Have you ever had them healed… without anesthesia?" Sakura growled out.

She was instantly put back on the floor.

The blonde put one hand behind his head and grinned, "Sorry, Sakura, it's just been awhile. Come on, get dressed and let's get some Ichiraku. My treat, ok? I'll wait on the couch."

Sakura thought about it. Food seemed like a fantastic idea. And, after dropping who knows how much money on sake, Naruto would be _paying_ for her meal. Besides, she needed to know what Ino was saying. If Naruto had heard from Ino, he'd tell her.

Sakura nodded at her friend and walked to her bathroom. Naruto shut the front door behind him and proceeded to her living area. He fell unceremoniously on the couch and sighed.

The medic took a shower as quick as possible since she _was_ pretty hungry. Getting dressed in her usual attire of black shorts, red top, and boots, she grabbed her hitae-ite. She usually wore her red shirt around the village. On missions, she switched it to the same design, but with black. She didn't think red was covert enough, sometimes.

Now clothed, Sakura towel dried her hair and brushed it. She then walked out to her living room, only to see her blonde teammate stretched out on the couch, hands behind his head. She would have thought he was asleep, but he opened his eyes and sat up when she walked into the room.

Naruto suddenly jumped up onto his feet and yelled a hearty, "Let's go!" Sakura nodded and walked to the door, to open it, and waited for Naruto to exit, first.

Sakura froze for a moment. It came back to her: _They walked to the door, he opened it for her, and held it open, while she walked out._

She shook her head mentally and after Naruto went through the threshold, she followed suit. Sakura locked the door with a little more force than usual. Inner Sakura laughed, finding it entertaining that the Uchiha's actions were still annoying her other self. Sakura told her other conscious to be quiet.

As Naruto led them through the streets of Konoha, he began chatting restlessly about Hyuuga Hinata and Sakura remained silent. She was happy for her both her friends… The poor girl had a crush on Naruto since the academy. And it had only been last year when she finally got the nerve to say something to him.

Naruto had finally gotten over his infatuation for Sakura. After years with her as a teammate, he realized he saw her more as a sister than anything. And when the Hyuuga heiress declared her devotion for him, the blonde realized what had been underneath his nose the whole time.

The two were inseparable and adorable to look at. Sakura hoped she would find someone like that. Ino seemed perfectly fine with flouncing from one man to another. Sakura didn't want that. She needed stability in her life. But at this point, the medic had admitted defeat a few months ago. The kunoichi had given up and just wasn't interested anymore. Sakura's rationale had been that she needed a strong and intelligent man to keep up with her.

Sakura had debated about Hyuuga Neji, he certainly was smart and able… But she just didn't see herself with him. Kiba certainly turned out good-looking, but he was just as immature as Naruto. Shikamaru was still pining after the fan-user, Temari… Sakura sighed. Commitment just wasn't for her.

It was all Sasuke's fault. As juvenile as it seemed, she truly believed it. She had put her heart in his hands and he threw it in her face. After that, he knocked her unconscious and dumped her on a bench. So much for being polite.

Nevertheless, the experience had made her cautious around other people. She didn't like to get that close to anyone. Of course, there were exceptions: her close circle of long-time friends.

One of which was currently babbling away on Hinata's beautiful hair that "rivaled the midnight sky." Did she hear him right? Naruto said something poetic? What was this world coming to?

Naruto and Sakura finally arrived at Naruto's favorite food establishment. Seating themselves at two open spaces, the blonde greeted the chef.

Ichiraku Ramen's chef grinned at the fox boy and asked, "Hey, Naruto and Sakura. How have you been? What can I fix up for you?"

Naruto answered for the both of them, as usual. Sakura always hated ordering. When the man nodded, Naruto turned to his teammate.

"So, Sakura," he began. "Ino told me all about your mission. I'm sorry that you got taken advantage of by a bunch of villagers. You must have been exhausted after all that…"

The pinkette truly had felt worn out when that ordeal had ended. All week, she desired nothing more than to leave that forsaken place. "Yeah, it was awful. I ended up stopping at a bar on the way home."

Ayame, the chef's daughter, placed two glasses of water in front of them. When the ninja nodded their thanks, Ayame smiled and walked away.

Naruto laughed at Sakura's last comment. "Ha, you would. Baa-chan is rubbing off on you! I hope you know that… I just wish I could have seen the faces of the guys in that bar when you drank fifteen cups. Bet they wouldn't expect that!"

"It was actually twenty one." Naruto's mouth flew open. Sakura put up a half-hearted smile. She wasn't sure if drinking that much was a victory or a loss.

Sakura picked up her glass of water and sipped it. Non-alcholic beverages certainly tasted good sometimes. Their ramen came shortly after and Naruto, like always, yelled out in thanks upon receiving his favorite meal. Sakura muttered a much quieter prayer; with Naruto around, loud vocals weren't needed.

Biting into her meal, Sakura realized that she actually was hungry enough for ramen. Half the time, she force-fed herself the stuff, because her loudmouthed teammate dragged her here every other night of the week. But now, after a blessed week of no Naruto, she found she somewhat missed their outings. She turned over to tell her friend this, when she noticed him staring darkly at his food. _Uh oh_.

Sakura stared at him for a few moments, unsure of what to say. Finally, Naruto looked up from his meal and stared her in the face. The medic realized just how serious her friend could get.

"Sakura. Were you going to tell me?" There was a bite to those words. With a hint of betrayal.

The kunoichi frowned. It wasn't hard to figure out what he was talking about. Obviously, Ino had told Naruto that she had made contact with Uchiha Itachi. The man who had been trying to capture him for the past, what was it? Decade? He had every right to be upset.

But she honestly hadn't thought that far. She had come back from Grass, informed Tsunade of what happened, and immediately started working. Truly, she hadn't even thought about others yet. But really, she was going to tell him, once she got things sorted out.

She only hoped Naruto would believe her.

"Naruto, you know I won't keep anything from you," she tried. "I told Tsunade-shishou. Then got absorbed into working. In fact, I don't even completely know what is going on myself." She sighed.

Naruto looked at his female teammate. The closest person he had to having a sister. He knew she dove into her work headfirst and could get lost in it or lose complete track of time. Uchiha Itachi must have really rattled her to get her this confused.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Naruto took a bite of his ramen. Sakura watched him do so; this was a good sign.

"Sure. He was acting polite the entire evening. He never used the Sharingan, never touched me, or anything. He was very respectful and well-mannered. Even held the door open for me." She stated and took a bite of her own food.

The blonde could hardly hold back his surprise. "Really? How does _that_ happen? And what did he tell you to do that got you locked up in the library, where Ino found you?"

"Well, he didn't directly say it… but he was acting so odd. Not like we know him. More like, the 'charming older Uchiha brother.' He told me to 'look underneath the underneath,' and disappeared." Sakura said, thoughtfully.

The medic continued, "So I decided to look into his past, which was why I was in the library. But I still think he's a prick," she added quickly.

Naruto laughed and watched Sakura finish off her glass of water. The pinkette then flipped the glass upside down and placed it on the counter.

"You, uh, know they can refill those, right?" the blonde asked.

Sakura looked down at what she had just done. _Whoops. Bad habit from the past few days_. "Yeah, sorry. I just do it without thinking," she trailed off. The kunoichi looked over at her friend. Somehow, four empty bowls were next to him. When had that happened? Naruto sure had stealth when it came to eating… If only he put that to use in the field.

"Naruto?"

A muffled reply answered her, "mmmyeah?"

"What did Ino tell you? Or anyone else?" It was bothering her. Sakura took another bite of ramen.

"Oh, I was coming back from Hinata-chan's last night and I saw Ino yelling around the bar down by the library about how you were in need of a man."

Sakura grimaced. Naruto smiled. "And, that you had finally found your perfect match, but ran away from it."

Sakura wanted to punt her friend across the village but then saw Naruto's face darken. "I confronted her and told the others to go away. She told me about your mission. And that you met a handsome guy in a bar. I got excited for you and curious, so I asked her about it. And guess who it was..." he added bitterly.

Sakura looked dejected. She knew he had every right to be pissed with her. That was _not_ how he should have found out about her encounter.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto. That shouldn't have happened. On any level."

Her friend suddenly turned cheerful. For what reason, she had no clue. Luckily, he defended his attitude with his next words. "Well, no, it shouldn't have happened. But you were drunk and probably wouldn't be much of a fight and he knew that. Though, he didn't hurt you. Whatever happened, it couldn't have been avoided, I guess." Naruto laughed.

Holy crap, he was confusing. She swore he went through mood swings like a girl. Well, ok. He was in a good mood again, and that would override his statement that if she was drunk, she wouldn't be much of a fight. But she curled her hands on the counter. Sakura ate the last portion of her food. Looking over, she saw Naruto was now leaning back against the stool, rubbing his stomach. He was down for the count.

The medic smiled, and said a 'thank you' for paying. Her teammate nodded graciously, telling her they should do this more often. Sakura sighed and began to get up from her own stool. Before she left the ramen stall, she asked Naruto one more question.

"Hey, have you seen Kakashi anywhere today?"

Naruto thought for a moment. "Nope. Sorry, Sakura-chan. But you know he could be anywhere. I don't think he's on a mission though."

Nodding at her friend, she gave her goodbyes and left.

* * *

Sakura was now frustrated. When Kakashi didn't want to be found, he actually hid in the most obvious places. He was so much easier to overlook that way, it was unbelievable. Hiding in plain sight was what the Copy-nin did best.

Now walking along the top of the Hokage monument, she didn' t see any sight of a silver-haired lazy-ass. That jerk. Where could he be? The training grounds? Sakura had looked at his apartment, the streets, and even the bookstore's adult section. Maybe he was at the training area…?

Starting to walk down to the far fields, she thought about the other unbelievable idea in her head.

Ino.

And her big, fat mouth.

How could she say those things? It was so low of her, proclaiming Sakura had finally found a man worthy of her. What kind of crap what _that_? When she saw her friend next, her chakra was going to get a work out.

Inner Sakura was currently laughing. _Why do you find it so unbelievable? You said it yourself; you need a man that was strong and intelligent. That Uchiha Itachi certainly fits your wants… And even you can't deny how handsome he is._

Sakura gasped. That was true… He did fit what she was looking for. She had listed those two qualities not so long ago.

Wait, no. Don't think about it. Stop it. She forced her inner self out of commission and went back to focusing on finding her elusive sensei. She swore she heard Inner Sakura chortling in the back of her mind…

Now completely bitter about everything, Sakura noticed that it was going to start getting dark in a few more hours, or so. She'd only been up since noon! She hated it when her day was wasted… but then, Sakura belatedly realized she had wanted to stay in bed when her brat of a teammate was pounding on her front door. If she had done that, she would have wasted the _entire_ day and been up all through the night. Then where would she be? Maybe Naruto pounding ungraciously on her door had been a good thing.

Whatever.

The medic looked down when she felt the change in soil. Sakura recognized the grass beneath her feet was from the training ground Team Kakashi used most often. Scanning the field, she didn't find anyone there.

Sakura frowned. _He was here. She could feel it._ Turning to a tree, she looked high up in the branches, only to find a Copy-nin reading a bright-orange book while lounging in the leaves.

Kakashi, sensing her, put his book in his lap, and called down to her, "Yo!" He complemented his action with a cock of his head and crinkle of his eye.

Sakura planted her hands on her hips and looked up. "Kakashi, could you come down here and talk to me for a moment?" she asked nicely.

"Ah, Sakura, I'm afraid, that a poor squirrel up here is lonely. I'm keeping it company until its friends come back." He replied, dramatically. The copy-nin didn't feel like putting his book away.

The medic stared up at her teacher for a moment. When he didn't move, she decided to go to plan B. Sakura wordlessly opened a pocket on her side pack that she carried. Slowly, she pulled out her two black gloves. She paused for a moment, flicking her eyes up at him, and carefully began to slide them on her hands.

Kakashi didn't need telling twice. "Oh, how wonderful! The squirrel's friends have magically appeared. It seems we have a few ninja rodents in our forests." He yelled, quickly. Kakashi jumped down, branch to branch, until he was on level ground with his female student.

Shutting his book with one hand, Kakashi asked what she wanted to talk about and to put her gloves away. They made him nervous, but she didn't need to know that.

Sakura's mouth tugged to one side. How was she going to start this? Well, Kakashi never beat around the bush with information… so she guessed being direct was the best way to go.

"Can you tell me what you know about Uchiha Itachi, back when he was still in Konoha?" It didn't get any more direct than that.

Kakashi didn't answer her. In fact, he wasn't moving. Sakura quietly pulled off her black gloves and put them back in her pack. She saw his shoulders soften a bit; the medic took a great deal of enjoyment knowing that she could put the famous Copy-ninja on edge. It was fantastic fun.

Finally, Kakashi opened his mouth. "That's quite a random question, Sakura," he said cautiously.

She eyed him. The change in his tone was clearly noted. But Sakura needed to know what Kakashi had stored in his memory. She really _needed to know_.

"I… know it is. But it's imperative that I get any information on him. Especially before he went rogue."

Kakashi crossed his arms in front of him, straightened up, and was looking down at her. He knew it irked her when he flaunted his height, but then, she could easily remedy that. It wouldn't be hard for her to amputate a leg or two… But, he'd take that chance. Take it as revenge for the glove thing. That had been a cheap trick. Besides, he loved tormenting her and sometimes she fell for his taunting.

Sakura noticed Kakashi wasn't slouching as much anymore. He was standing relatively upright now and she wanted to invert his face.

"Sakura, what would you do with that information?" he growled out. That changed everything. Sakura quickly noticed the tide had turned. _He_ was questioning her now. Suddenly, she remembered her first meeting with this man. The day he yelled at Naruto, Sasuke, and her and scared the living daylights out of them. That tone had been unnerving. And it still was. She swore, sometimes, Kakashi could read her so well and make her feel so insignificant. He was _good_ at making her cower inwardly. When had she lost control of the conversation? That sure was fast. But then, the sharingan wielder had been around her for several years and knew what buttons to press.

"I, uh, wanted to… know about him on a more personal level." She said timidly.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Ino's rantings last night, would it?" the Copy-nin demanded.

Sakura's face contorted. _Kakashi knew?_ Oh dear lord. Who else knew? Now half of Konoha probably thought she had been in a one-night stand with some lover she had met the other evening. Fantastic. She could only hope Ino hadn't divulged who that 'lover' was… That was a scandal that needed to be avoided.

Kakashi saw the mental tortment his former student was suffering from. He crinkled his eye and assured her, "Ah, I'm just kidding, Sakura. Tsunade told me what happened. Ino hasn't said anything too bad of you."

The kunoichi instantly scowled at the shinobi in front of her. Did everyone who possessed a Sharingan have to be such a _prick_? She kicked his shin. Kakashi fell down to the ground, holding it. He grunted in pain.

"Ah, don't worry, Kakashi. That'll only sting for a few hours. It's just an incredibly bad bone bruise. The pain will go away eventually. _On. Its. Own_."

Kakashi noted her last few words.

The Copy-nin refused to get up from the ground until the pain subsided. When it seemed his shin was going to keep throbbing, he decided to ignore the pain and act like nothing happened. The silver-haired jounin casually laid back on the ground, pulling his arms back to rest his head on them. He saw Sakura's mouth twitch in frustration.

"Come join me, Sakura," the lazy instructor drawled out. Sakura reluctantly got down on the ground next to her sensei and laid on the grass next to him.

Kakashi took a small breath. It sure had been a long time since the Uchiha had been here in Konoha. Though, he still remembered his own opinion of the situation.

"Tsunade called me in yesterday afternoon and informed me of your encounter the other night. I do agree that Uchiha Itachi was not acting according to our profile of him. In fact, his actions that night are incredibly confusing. But personally, I agree with you. The Uchiha's presence was reminiscent of his old personality."

Sakura's eyes widen, eagerly waiting for Kakashi to explain himself.

"I never worked in the same cell as him while we were in Anbu. Usually, I was off doing solo missions. But I did know how he captained his group. He was incredibly brilliant- a flawless strategist, much like Shikamaru. Unparalleled strength… It was ridiculous. Often times, his team returned from missions unscathed. He was _just that good_. If he had been acting the 'good, loyal shinobi to his village,' he sure fooled all of us." Kakashi sighed.

"I know Uchiha Mikoto drilled her boys with etiquette and manners. It was expected, especially as a clan heir. So, I can understand from that point of view why he sat with you to begin with. But I can't for the life of me, figure out why he made contact with you in the first place. Tsunade claims he wants you to look into his past. Have you found anything out?"

Sakura told Kakashi her theory. The Copy-nin scratched his head while he mused over her idea.

"You know, something about that night never sat right with me," he said. "I just couldn't put my finger out it. But to me, it sounds like you're on to something." With that comment, Kakashi looked over at his student and reached out to ruffle her hair. Sakura gave a small laugh and smiled.

Her sensei thought for a little more before opening his mouth, once again. "I know Uchiha Itachi does nothing without a purpose. To leave this many untied strings is unheard of from him. But of course, that's just my opinion based on his stay in Konoha. My guess is he'll make contact with you again. Which is why Tsunade informed me; another solo mission might not happen for you in a while… So, she figured if anyone had to know, it was me." He added cheerfully.

Sakura digested those statements. True, if she went on a group mission and her teammates found her conversing with a missing-nin, that would look bad on her part. Yes, it was best someone she trusted knew about her situation. And who could she trust more than Kakashi?

Inner Sakura squealed. _He's going to make contact again! I wonder how it'll go?_ Sakura told herself that it wasn't one hundred percent proven. It was a guess and not to get overexcited.

This was all just so damn complicated.

"Kakashi?"

He looked over at her.

"Why do you think he sought me out? If there was something off about the massacre, why'd he wait so long before he said something about it?"

"I don't know, Sakura," Kakashi shrugged. "I just don't know. But he has his reasons. And if or when he sees you again, I'm sure we'll receive another bit of information that we didn't expect."

They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments. "What do you plan on doing next," the lazy man asked.

"Well, I was hoping you might spar with me for a little while? It's been a week, I could use it. But on the other topic, I was thinking about going to the Uchiha manor tomorrow."

"Ah, good idea on the visiting the estate. It's a big place, I know that. As for a spar, you kicked your poor old teacher in the shin and I don't even think I'll be able to move properly." Kakashi feigned sadness. Sakura knew he just didn't feel like it. Great. Now what was she going to do?

"So, what did you think of him?"

Sakura stopped thinking about destroying the tree line, when Kakashi had spoken.

"What did I think about him? The Uchiha?"

"Mhmm."

"He… well, he's a challenge." She replied. Kakashi understood. Sakura had an inborn need to analyze anything. He almost grinned that the Uchiha provided her with such a cryptic personality. True, Itachi was dangerous, but something didn't fit right about him in Kakashi's gut. He could never put his finger on it… But something about Sakura's encounter with the man made him feel ...relieved? That was an interesting feeling.

Either way, the situation needed caution. Uchiha Itachi was still a missing-nin, and whether or not something was false about the massacre, Itachi was responsible for it, on paper.

He hadn't hurt her, nor do anything except provide a few mysterious comments- one of which was one of his own proverbs. Kakashi turned his mouth into a smug grin. Maybe the Uchiha wasn't so bad. But then, he could be. All they could do was wait for his next move.

In the meantime, Kakashi wanted to take a leaf out of Ino's book and torment Sakura about it all. The jounin had to admit, the two were very similar. But Sakura's brash attitude would clash with Itachi's silence. He chuckled. For some reason, his gut feeling agreed that the two would have made a good match.

Or maybe it just reminded him of a story Jiraiya had written in one of his books. Yes, maybe that was it… the one with the princess falling in love with the bandit… Kakashi wanted to laugh. He might reread that tale again later tonight…

Sakura saw the mixture of expressions her sensei used in the past few moments. Clearly, whatever had him snickering like a fan-girl, was thrilling.

It was getting dark and Sakura didn't feel like laying on the grass as it started to get cold. She propped herself up onto her elbows and told Kakashi she was going to leave for home.

"I thought you wanted to spar?"

Sakura thought over it for the moment. "Eh, I'll be fine. I'm sure I'm still in good condition. It's not like I haven't been using my chakra for the past week at all."

He nodded. "Good luck tomorrow, Sakura. Let me know if you come across anything good, ok?"

As Sakura stood up from the grass, she smiled, "Of course, I will, Kakashi. But what if he just sent me on some wild goose chase? That this is all some big mind game?"

The Copy-nin mulled that over for awhile. "Like I said, he doesn't do anything with reason, though I don't see him doing a mind game on you. Your contact between him is too little for him to get any benefit out of it. As for the goose chase, just follow your gut. Only time will tell. And when that time comes, hopefully he'll make contact with you. Just be careful."

"I will, don't worry," she nodded at him.

Kakashi sighed. "Sakura, I know what happens when you get drunk. You get sarcastic as hell and a temper to match. I'm sure he saw that side of you two nights ago."

The medic frowned. "I tried to stop it, but I couldn't… Besides, it seemed like he was enjoying it more than anything."

Kakashi's gut was even more firm in its previous decision about the pair. Kakashi always followed his gut, but what the hell was going on? He decided to follow his own advice and let time play everything out.

"Well, goodbye, Kakashi, I'll let you know how it goes, if anything useful turns up. Take care, until then." The pinkette waved and started to walk home.

The Copy-nin watched her walk away. He decided he might as well go back to his apartment, as well. It was getting dark and he wouldn't be able to read out here, anyway.

* * *

I know you're craving some Itachi-Sakura interaction... 'cause I certainly am...

Don't worry, folks. It'll come. Soon. I can't stand it for much longer.

Anywho, let me know what you think!

-Kiwi


	5. Meidum

Over the lips, through the gums. Look out stomach, here it comes!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto... Nor any of the characters... They, in fact, belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Snow Country was absolutely beautiful, the dark-haired man thought. He quickly ran over the freshly fallen snow, without making an imprint on its top layer. It was of utmost importance to keep it that way.

Uchiha Itachi jumped onto the nearby trees and decided to run along the branches, to avoid the possibility of tell-tale foot prints. It wasn't to prevent tracks and ninja easily following him… No, it was for his own preference.

Itachi found snow incredibly entrancing and desired to keep it untouched.

The Uchiha found himself traveling through Snow Country whenever he felt the need to. It was solitary, save for a few non-ninja villages, and was nothing short of breath-taking.

Snow had just fallen and left this country in a beautiful blanket of white. Everything was covered in several inches of a thick, white fluff. Itachi mused over familiar thoughts; why he loved the snow, so much…

Ah, yes, the world was distorted.

Impure.

Tainted.

He knew of how cruel and unjust everything was… Hell, he had lived a lie for half of his years.

The snow… covered up that contaminated world he was so familiar with… concealing it all with pure, sacred powder. The ugliness of the world completely sheathed beneath that simple layer of white.

Itachi liked it that way. Everything was so much simpler, in the clean, fresh powder. All there was, was white. Nothing else.

Just white.

It was sad when he passed too close to other villages, where the children had played in the snow. They had tainted it. Run through it, throwing up snow from the bottom of their boots as they chased each other. Civilian families shoveled their walkways, making paths for them to walk to and fro.

Itachi had seen those families shovel their doorsteps and walkways. They merely walked outside, shovel in hand, and delved right into removing the obtrusive snowfall. They never stopped to admire its beauty; it was so disheartening. Then the civilians lifted their shovels, throwing whatever was on it, a few feet away.

Out of the way.

Where the snow had touched the ground, it turned gray and black. The very bottom layer became poisoned. Itachi thought sadly, that it had lost its precious sacredness. When the shovel threw all that snow elsewhere, that bottom layer would be exposed. And that's when all the black and gray of the world came into view again. On top of the fresh, pure snow.

The Sharingan-user frowned. It was all so off-putting. He hated what had happened to him. The choice he had to make.

The world was so _dirty_.

But he supposed that was why he visited Snow Country so often, to see the world in a pristine color.

Why did the world have to be so stained? Why couldn't the civilians just admire the scenery for a few moments before turning everything back to its nasty self? The snow was _perfect_, yet without a second thought, those civilians reverted everything back to the way it was. All it took was a shovel full of snow.

Itachi sighed. It was like imperfection was perfection, yet perfection was inadequate.

That was why he tread lightly- to not make footprints. It was to preserve his wish for a peaceful place. Where he wouldn't have had to kill his family. Where he wouldn't have had to leave his brother raging for revenge, only to fail. Where he wouldn't have had to live his life in exile.

One choice. That was all it took.

But he'd make things right. He had matured so much over the past few years… Itachi now realized he deserved a life, as well. What he wished for, wasn't coming. It was time to move on… for a new hope.

And the new hope for redemption was in Konoha. Where the little pink-haired kunoichi was probably confused as hell. Itachi smirked. He couldn't wait to see her again. He had been planning to wait a week before seeing her, but that seemed a little too ridiculous. She would reach a dead end at some point and would need him to fill in the holes.

It had only been a few days, but she would probably be going on a mission soon. He'd catch her then.

Itachi thought about her circumstance… She had undoubtedly informed her Hokage of their encounter. Her Shishou probably given word to research him, he was hoping. But then, Sakura would probably research on her own, anyway. But more likely, the Hokage had given her permission.

Then Tsunade would have informed someone else about it. Sakura couldn't stay inside the village forever… she would have to go on missions at some point. Yes, her teammates would need to know about his potential meetings with her. The both of them chatting would cause alarm to the uninformed.

He didn't want that.

He surmised that Kakashi would know about his student's encounters. Naruto was out of the question- he couldn't contain his emotion worth anything. And Sakura really didn't have anyone else close to her like that… Except Kakashi.

Itachi stood atop of one tree branch and closed his eyes. It always astounded him how much he could guess and find it accurate.

_Only one way to find out_. With that, Itachi started moving again, in the direction of his old village. He'd wait for her to leave for a mission, then make his move.

He made sure to not leave his footprints on the snow.

* * *

Sakura was walking toward the Uchiha estate. It was mid-morning, around nine-thirty, and she wanted some answers. Damnit.

There was no one around the area, probably because it was on the outskirts of the village. Besides, there wasn't much of a need for anyone to be in this section. There weren't any stores, cafés, important buildings… Just, Uchiha quarters.

Sakura reached the entrance. She paused, wondering if it was ok to just walk through the gate. People had died in there, after all. She wasn't a part of the family- was she just allowed to simply… _walk in_?

The medic took a deep breath and willed herself to cross the threshold of the once lively, Uchiha manor.

Sakura stepped inside the gate a few feet. The manor was empty.

No noise. No people. No life. Just… empty.

It was hard to believe one of the most prominent clans once lived here. _82 people, actually_, her inner self muttered. Oh yeah. Right.

Sakura then started walking around the estate, half wishing to see someone. It was just so _quiet_. Not like, 'there's people in the room, and no one is talking' quiet… But 'there's actually no one in the room and you're by yourself' eerie kind of quiet. Turning a corner, the pinkette saw walls to a courtyard, decorated with the Uchiha symbol. Several red and white fans danced around the sides.

The wall was started to crumble around the edges, since no one had been around for upkeep. Sakura looked at the fans, the symbol which had been proudly displayed on her old teammate's shirts. The paint on all of them was fading and looked worn down. Several of them had cracks started to form near the top, where the wall started to break away. One of the fans caught Sakura's eye.

This one fan, had a huge crack directly in the center of the symbol. Sakura looked around. That was odd. All of the other ones had cracks around the top… but, this one was in the middle. The medic looked closer at the crack. Realization hit her hard, when she realized that the dent wasn't made by the wall eroding.

No, this looked intentional. In fact, it looked like a weapon mark… _like a kunai_. Exactly. Sakura pulled out one of her own kunai to test the theory. It fit perfectly.

But that was interesting. No other kunai marks were imprinted into other fans on the wall. Just the one… She didn't know what to think of that. If she saw the Prick again, she'd ask him about it.

Sakura huffed and kicked at the ground. This little treasure hunt he had sent her on was full of dead-ends and holes. How was she supposed to figure all this crap out? _Bullshit. Let's rip him a new one if we see him again._ Agreed.

Realizing that there really wasn't much else out here, Sakura turned around at the building behind her. It was one of the larger buildings in the district, so it was probably where Sasuke, Itachi, and their parents lived. After all, Itachi was a clan heir, and his father was in charge of the Konoha police force. It only fit that their immediate family would own such a large house.

Sakura walked onto the porch outside the front door. Dust swirled around her feet with every step. Taking another deep breath, she grabbed hold of door, and slid it open. Sticking her head inside, she peered around the foyer.

Boy, was it dusty.

_Well, it's not like anyone has been here to clean it in the last… seven years or so._ Truth.

Leaving the porch, Sakura walked fully into the home. She blinked a few times, before it registered she was in Sasuke's house. Itachi's house. Sakura remembered on several occasions back in the academy, wanting to be invited over to her infatuation's house for dinner… What girl didn't? She was sure Uchiha Mikoto would love to meet Sasuke's classmates; a sign that her son _did_ have friends. Her childish mind hoped that Sasuke would then begin to like her.

Then, later, they had all been killed and it was just Sasuke by himself. Sakura knew she would never be brought over to meet his parents… but she still had hoped Sasuke would like some company. How she wanted to see where he lived…

_Good thing you grew out of that_. Yup.

Whatever. Sasuke was gone. He was somewhere else in the world, where no one wanted to find him. Sakura would keep it that way. She had no time for wild goose chases.

_Is that why you're walking through the Uchiha manor, probably going to traipse through Itachi's room? All because he asked you, indirectly? 'Cause that's certainly a wild goo-_

Sakura growled. Damnit! Why the hell was she doing this? This was all just so _stupid_ and dumb of her. Was she even supposed to be here? So he said a few cryptic things… psh. She really shouldn't have analyzed everything so much.

Sakura started getting furious, but caught herself before she pounded a new door into the wall by accident. Reigning in her frustration, she found stairs in the hallway to the left of the foyer. If anywhere in this place held anything worth finding, she'd have to ransack the damned Prick's room.

The pinkette began ascending the stupid stairs. Shit, she didn't know where to look. Which room was his, anyway? As she neared the top of the climb, she saw four doors. Sakura assumed one was Sasuke's room, a bathroom, closet, and the jerk's room. Adults tended to have their own small huts elsewhere. Most likely, Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto lived on the ground level, but in a separate living space conjoined to the front porch.

Sakura opened one door. It was the closet, filled towels and blankets. _Fabulous._ She cracked another door. This one was a bedroom, but whose?

Sakura fully opened the door and walked inside. Dust coated the floor and everything else in the room. It was so dirty in here… The bed was made, but several books were strewn all over the floor and scrolls were thrown about the desk. A few papers were here and there, and on the window sill was a picture frame, face down.

Without thinking, Sakura walked over to the window and reached out for the picture frame. As she flipped the frame upward, her heart wrenched… A picture of team seven was displayed in the casing underneath the dust.

This was Sasuke's room.

And he _really_ didn't want anything to do with Naruto, Kakashi, and her. The message was simple, loud, and clear. Sure, the picture could have fallen over, but there was just as much dust on the photo as there was in the rest of the room.

He had turned it over deliberately.

Well, fine. If he didn't care about them, Sakura didn't give a shit about his ass, either. The medic put the frame back on the window sill, face down. He only put another nail into his coffin. What did she care? Sakura didn't need some moody, sullen, grouchy boy to tell her over and over again how weak she was.

Hell, at twenty years old, she was anything _but_ weak. Take that, Jerk.

She didn't need him. She had done just fine without his presence. With that thought in mind, Sakura turned on her feet and left the room, slamming the door shut.

There were two doors left in the hallway. One was a bathroom and the other was probably the Epitome of Arrogance's room. She walked to one of them to unfasten it. And of course, it would be the bathroom…

There was one door left. Sakura stared at the door at the end of the creepy, dark hallway. Why didn't she check this one first? _Of course_, he would live in the room at the end of the creepy, dark hallway.

Nevertheless, she grabbed hold of the door handle and eased it open.

The Prick's room was even dustier than his younger sibling's. _Well, duh. He left several years before Sasuke did._ Right you are, Inner Self.

Even under all the dust, Sakura noticed another difference between the two brothers. The elder brother's room, save for the dust, had everything in its own place. Sasuke's stuff was _everywhere_. Wow, and this whole time, she thought Sasuke was neat and tidy. _Hardly. See, the elder's more your style…_ Sakura told her other self to shut the hell up.

The pinkette walked over to the dresser and opened a few drawers. Uchiha fans on his shirts glared back at her. Man, he sure had a lot of them. She guessed he wasn't able to take many with him when he declared himself a traitor… But he'd been gone for several years; surely he would have bought new clothes. Sakura suddenly laughed at the thought of the Akatsuki owning a few laundry machines. They had to keep those cloaks clean, right? She was almost barking out laughter when she wondered if Kakuzu placed a money-charge for each washing before he died.

The kunoichi touched one of the shirts in the drawer. Damn, they were soft! The Uchiha really showed off their money with these things… This material was high quality! Sakura got the urge to take one.

Sakura quickly shut the dresser drawers before she grabbed one of the shirts. She did not need a memento of Uchiha Itachi constantly in her apartment. But they _were_ soft... Great. Now she would probably give in at some point. Shutting the stupid shirts out of her train of thought, Sakura looked around the dusty room. There really wasn't much here, was there? The bed was made, pristine. No clutter on the desk or floor. This guy was organized.

Sakura suddenly realized she wasn't going to find anything in his room._ Except shirts…_ Stop that. The pink-haired woman sat down on the Prick's bed, while dust swirled up from the mattress. The kunoichi began to think. There was nothing here. But, there had to be! Now that she thought about it, there was no way he'd leave behind something important in his own room. She thought harder; what did he do when he was in Konoha? He spent most of his time with Sasuke. Or training.

But he wouldn't have left anything important on a training ground… Would he have left something in Sasuke's room? Maybe he didn't leave anything, Sakura thought sadly… And what about the mark in the fan outside? What had happened there? Just one mark… It wasn't a battle. Was it some stunt or game?

This really _was_ stupid.

Sakura thought about her trip to the library, before Ino interrupted. She knew someone or several people had helped him kill the clan. She knew that whatever help he had, had a kekkai genkai. She assumed Itachi had the Mangekyou Sharingan by that point.

Sakura remembered she never figured out how the Mangekyou was achieved. She knew the standard level appeared in times of stress… but the Mangekyou was different… She had asked Kakashi how he got his, but he always stated his eye was a little different because it was a transplant. And she was back to square one.

Now she had more dead-ends and roadblocks. _Fantastic_.

Sakura shifted on the bed, not caring about the dust getting all over her clothes. Alright, forget all these guessing games and start at the basics. What _did_ she know about her obnoxious acquaintance?

Well, he was organized.

He was incredibly skilled.

The Prick was crafty and intelligent… Uh, he was male_. You're really grasping at straws here, did you notice?_

He… had the Mangekyou… and is going blind because of it? Sakura really didn't know half as much as she thought she did… _He was a clan heir_, her Inner self suggested. Oh yeah. Right.

That had to be a lot of pressure on his part. Well, it was his fault for being a genius in the first place! That made the choice for heir blatantly obvious. Even so, all he had to do was not die and go to a few clan meetings. How hard could that be? Well, he wasn't dead. And clan meetings certainly weren't happening anymore.

An idea sprung into Sakura's head. Where did the clan meet? She knew from Hinata, that the clans had secret places where they gathered and stored their clan secrets… Shino had attested to this, as well.

Well, shit. The meeting place was hidden. How was she going to find it? Another wonderful idea that got shot down to the ground. Sakura stood up, while the bed squeaked and dust sifted through the air again. The pinkette decided this was a waste of time and she may as well head back to the library for more research. Oh right! She hadn't looked up his old reports yet. Maybe she'd learn more from him, there?

With her mind made up, Sakura walked out of his room, closing the door behind her. She made her way down the stairs and left the house, declaring she had experienced enough Uchiha for one day. What was the rush, anyway? Maybe she would go check the Hospital, just to make sure they weren't short-handed. The medic really wasn't in too much of a hurry to look up more of Uchiha Itachi. She'd been focusing on him far too much in the past few days than she wanted. Sakura needed to clear her head for a little bit, _and then_ she would go back to the library.

Exiting the compound, she felt relieved to leave the desolate place. Walking faster, Sakura almost smiled when she could hear people again. It was when she finally reached the busy streets of Konoha before she stopped walking and let out the smile she had been holding in. At last, she wasn't in such an eerily quiet estate.

"Sakura-san." A voice broke her out of her reverie. Sakura heard the voice to her far left and turned to face Izumo.

"Oh, hello, Izumo! How are you?" She replied, brightly.

"Tsunade-hime asks to see you promptly." Sakura nodded at him and Izumo left. Well, so much for small talk.

Sakura sighed and began the walk toward the Hokage tower.

* * *

Sakura knocked on the door and heard the familiar "Enter!" She opened the door, walked inside, only to meet a blonde Hokage and none other than her silver-haired sensei.

Well, this only meant one thing.

"Sakura, I've decided to send you and Kakashi out on a short, simple mission; scroll delivery." Her shishou muttered, bored. "But, you can tell that's not really the point."

"You hope he'll make contact again?"

"Mhmm. Kakashi, you explain it. I don't really feel like repeating myself." Sakura fought down a scowl. _Or you're just already drunk or hungover_.

Kakashi turned toward his student and reluctantly drawled out a few sentences. "We'll be doing a quick scroll delivery, then somewhere on the way back, we'll visit another bar. You'll go inside, alone, I'll mind the perimeter, just in case something goes wrong. Hopefully, something good will happen." Well, he sounded just as thrilled as the blonde.

Tsunade slowly nodded after Kakashi's short speech. "You two leave tomorrow morning. Take your time. And don't come back without something useful." Sakura's mentor looked directly at her, and with a smirk, said a few last, drunken words. "And Sakura? Have some fun."

A look of horror was instantly on the kunoichi's face.

* * *

"You know, Sakura, you don't have to look so sour." Kakashi chided.

"And why the hell shouldn't I be? That guy was a complete bastard." She sneered out.

Kakashi chuckled. It was true; the man to whom they needed to deliver the scroll, had checked Sakura out, and done nothing to hide it. Needless to say, she was furious.

"We left him several hours ago. You can stop being mad at him for being male."

"Well, he didn't have to keep staring like that!"

Kakashi sighed. "Sakura, you're just going to have to get used to the fact that you're not ugly. Men find you attractive."

The pinkette grimaced. Hearing her _teacher_ tell her that she was good-looking made her feel somewhat uncomfortable. She knew that she wasn't hard to look at. It was just when the men did it so unabashedly. _That _made her feel unsettled. But luckily, Kakashi had sensed her distress and demanded they leave from the man's home.

"Whatever. I could have inverted his face." She huffed out.

Kakashi gave up. Sakura was too close to her mentor in personality. Tsunade had, without a doubt, made Sakura's fuse of the male population incredibly short. There was no question Tsunade developed said short fuse herself because of the late Jiraiya's perverted ways…

"Just keep thinking that. One day you'll be able to just let it roll off your shoulders or take advantage of it. Not punch it in the nose." Kakashi closed his eyes. Every once in a while, he did have missions with just Sakura, but whenever she became the tempered female, he really had no idea what to do. She was a woman. A girl. A kunoichi. And he had no clue what to do in that unchartered territory. Female students were so much different from the males. If possible, the Copy-nin's shoulders sank even lower to the ground than normal.

Sakura broke the silence. "So, which bar are we going to?"

"There's one just inside the Fire border. It's our territory, but too far away from the village for him to be scared away. But then, I doubt he _would_ be scared. He probably has been waiting for you to be alone and will jump at the first chance. It's not like the Uchiha can't take care of himself, anyway."

That sounded reasonable. But something inside Sakura's stomach was making her uneasy. She wasn't sure if she wanted to see that stupid smirk again. Or put up with his antics. But then, who knows? Maybe he wouldn't even show up. Yeah. It was highly unlikely he would know what bar she would be at in the whole ninja realm. What were the odds?

Sakura began to smile. Yes, this was probably going to be fruitless.

It didn't take much longer before they reached their destination. Standing several hundred feet outside the small town, Kakashi informed her of the plan.

"Well, it's simple. I'll mind my own business, and you go chat up the Uchiha. Alright?"

The medic blinked, then scowled. "Excuse me? That's all you have to say?"

"Uh, yup. I've got good hearing, so I'll be around the area." Anbu gloves pointed to his ears. "Besides, he might get discouraged if I'm too close. I'll meet up with you either in a few hours, or after he leaves. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some reading to do. Have fun, Sakura-chan!" And with a wave and an eye-crinkle, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sakura was left dumbfounded, staring at the spot where the Copy-nin had just been occupying. Really? That was the grand plan? Leave her to fend for herself? She was going to kill him later.

Grumbling to herself, extra loud so that a certain silver-haired shinobi could hear her, she stomped her way toward the small village. After locating the bar, Sakura immediately decided to have a drink or six.

The pinkette opened the door to the establishment. Twenty or so heads turned in her direction, as she had expected. Was it really so odd to find a woman drinking? Glancing around, she found a table located near the back corner and moved to it. Sakura could feel the stares on her back as sat down. _Déjà vu, eh?_ Sakura snorted mentally. It was an unending cycle. Luckily, the bar was civilian occupied. If she did have to defend herself with something other than sarcasm, there wouldn't be much of a fight.

The bartender called over to her and asked for her order. Sakura replied back with an incoming order of sake bottles. She would need it. And if she did have company, _he_ probably would, as well.

Leaning back in the chair, she noticed the other men eye her, like they had done several nights ago. Sakura shifted uncomfortably with a glare. If the Prick didn't come, she'd be pissed. Kakashi said he'd stop by after a few hours if there was no activity, except putting up with pathetic come-on's was not what she felt like doing tonight. _So, you actually want him to visit?_ Sakura didn't know what to say to that. Though after a moment's thought, the lesser of the two evils was certainly the civilian men. Yeah, definitely the better choice.

The bartender came back with a bottle of sake and a cup. Great. Now she could finally take some stress off her shoulders… Taking the bottle and pouring some of its contents into the cup, Sakura found herself wanting the liquid.

Lifting the cup and quickly pouring its contents into her mouth, Sakura relished its taste. She really was turning into a sucker for alcohol. Whatever. Tsunade said she'd take care of the liquor bill for this and Sakura was planning on taking advantage of that fact. It just _tasted so good_.

Unfortunately, the pinkette remembered she had a lot of questions to remember… Getting drunk would not be the best way to recollect them. Damn, she'd have to take it slow. _Guess you'll have to sip it. Check that out! You can actually _enjoy _the taste, instead of just chugging it quickly._

Sakura told herself that she did enjoy the taste even if she drank it quickly… just probably not to the full extent. Oh well. The medic stared at the bottle. She just wanted to drink it as fast as possible. But _no_. She had to restrain herself this time. Jerk better show up soon. If he didn't, screw it all; she would enjoy herself.

The kunoichi leaned back in her chair, tilting it on its back two legs, with her right foot on the table edge. She rocked her chair back and forth, wondering what to do. She was in a bar. Waiting. But couldn't drink.

Tsunade would agree with her- This was pure torture.

Sakura took her foot and leaned forward, causing the chair back on all fours to the ground, loudly. She poured another cup and slowly lifted it to her lips. She sipped the sake. _Well, that was thrilling_. Sakura determined she didn't have the patience to appreciate the fine taste of the drink. She'd rather just inhale it.

The medic went back to rocking on her chair's back two legs. How long was she supposed to be here? Honestly, she didn't understand why she was so impatient tonight. Usually she held her composure well, but for some reason, the fact that she might encounter the Uchiha tonight irked her.

Staring up at the ceiling, Sakura fought down a groan. Movement in the other part of the bar caught her eye; one guy was standing up and his friends egging him on, with encouraging words. _Shit_. As the man came closer, Sakura noticed he looked boring. Not attractive. Not ugly. Just, boring.

Dull brown hair, a large nose, and drab looking clothes were next to her table and before Sakura could tell him to go away, the Boring man sat himself in a chair across from her. _Oh, this obnoxious._ Sakura refused to put her chair flat on the ground. Maybe her rocking it back and forth would prove she wasn't interested?

"So, I noticed you were by yourself…" Oh man, even his voice sounded disinteresting.

"I'm waiting for someone, actually." Well, it was true… Just whether or not he would show up was the question. If he didn't, it looked like she'd have to entertain the Blah-Man across from her.

"Oh, you're expecting someone? Man or woman? If you've got a girl meeting up with you, just come on over and join my friend's table!" The Blah-man's head drooped to one side. _Looks like someone's almost done for the count_.

"It's a man." It didn't get any blunter. _Go away._

"Aw, damn. Well, he's not here yet, maybe you'd still like to meet my friends or maybe we could go out in the village…somewhere?" The man started to smile at her. Sakura continued to balance on her chair.

"No, I'm fine right here." _Pick up the hint!_

"Well, that's ok too! We can just sit at this table, just the two of us." After he said this, the Boring man turned around, faced his friends, and gave a huge wink. The pinkette was reaching that plateau of Pissed Off. She was about to yell something when the door of the bar opened. _Ah! Hope!_ Sakura prayed.

A familiar aura worked its way into the bar and Sakura never felt so relieved. Uchiha Itachi walked in through the door and Sakura slammed the chair back on all fours to the ground. Jumping and running over to the Uchiha, she greeted him.

"Oh, thank heavens, you're all right! I was beginning to worry because you were so late!" She said loudly, with a smile. She focused on his chin. She didn't know his reasons for being here yet. _Play it safe…_

Itachi looked down at her, questioning. This was _not_ what he'd been expecting.

Sakura snarled quietly at him, so just he could hear. "Listen, jerk. Play along. Get that guy away from me." The Uchiha glanced at the table where she had suddenly sprung from. True to her words, there was a man sitting at said table, looking quite confused. Ingrained manners fired through him. The Uchiha gave a small nod, signifying his compliance.

Sakura breathed out and realized the bold move she had just made. _Not really thinking, are you? _Apparently not.

Sakura led the Uchiha back to her table, where she proclaimed to the unwanted visitor, "He's here now! So you can just go back to your other table. I'll be fine."

The poor guy looked from the pinkette to the man next to her. He was tall, dark hair and his cloak looked like the devil himself made it. Black with red clouds? Who would wear that? And his eyes were red… What?

"Uh, ok. Um… bye?" He shuffled his way out of the chair and went back to his friends. Sakura let out the breath she had been holding.

"Sorry about that. That was awkward." Sakura said as she took her former seat. Itachi stood beside the chair across from her. Sakura blinked in confusion.

"May I sit here?"

The pinkette stared at him for a moment before it registered what he had asked. Nodding dumbly, she replied with "Of course," and gave a small, goofy smile. Inner Sakura squealed. _This is just wonderful! He's just like he was before!_

Uchiha Itachi sat down across from the kunoichi. He then began to unhook his cloak, unfastening the clasps in the front. The now opened-front cloak fell to either side of him, revealing the tight shirt underneath. _Oh, dear God_. Sakura inwardly groaned. Was he going to sit like that all evening? That shirt looked way to good on him and… and…

Luckily, the bartender came over to the table, placing a second cup next to Itachi. _Perfect_ timing.

Sakura stared at the new cup and mumbled a quick, "please, help yourself…" as she debated whether or not to look up.

As able to read her mind, a smooth voice danced through her ears. "Sakura, I will not hurt you, and thank you for the drink."

Looking up, Sakura watched the man's hands pour the sake into his cup. She chanced a glimpse of his face, which was covered by his dark hair, as he looked down.

"How do I know? How can I trust you like that?" With iron will, Sakura focused all her attention at his face. When he lifted his head up, she instantly realized he wasn't playing around.

Itachi had now changed his eyes to the darkish gray. Onyx looked at her astonished face, observing the bewildered look in her emerald eyes. Yes, this would be a rather enjoyable evening.

Sakura digested this action. Itachi never turned his sharingan off; it was the most likely cause to his blindness. He reverted back to his original eyes? Either he was really cocky in that he didn't need his sharingan to do her in, or he was trying to win her over on some account.

"Well, I guess that's one way to show trust…" She muttered out.

"Sakura, I told you, I will not hurt you. This is just conversation. I'm sure you have many questions that need to be answered." He replied smugly. "How about, we alternate the questioning? You shall start."

The medic blinked. _See? All that effort wasn't wasted! Hooray! The research wasn't all in vain!_ That somewhat made Sakura feel better… Then Itachi poured more sake _into her cup_. She uttered a 'thank you,' and figured he'd be on good behavior for the time being.

Taking a sip from the newly filled cup, Sakura then opened her mouth. Start simple. Let the intellectual challenge begin.

"I went to the Uchiha manor yesterday. On the wall, was a crack in the center of one of the fans. Could you tell me about that?"

She watched him sip his own cup, before looking at her. "I could."

Moments ticked by. Sakura's blood began to boil. What a Jack-ass.

Itachi watched the pinkette become frustrated with his response. He enjoyed ticking her off. It… was entertaining.

"I put the mark there. I threw a kunai at the wall as a result of temporarily letting emotions take over. I was… upset."

Sakura nodded. Well, that answered that. Another sip for her. She waited for him to ask his own question.

"I take it the Copy-nin is the only one who is accompanying you? Do not worry, I will not harm your teammate, either."

Sakura coughed. "Um, yes. But he's outside somewhere. He likes to roam around. I don't know where he is." Itachi nodded. Inwardly, he smiled. He had guessed correctly. The Missing-nin took another taste his drink.

Sakura thought of another question. "How does one in the Uchiha clan acquire the Mangekyou Sharingan?" She waited patiently.

Itachi mused over her question. She hadn't located the Clan's meeting area, yet, apparently. Well, no need for that, now. He would tell her. There was no point in hiding it.

"It comes at the most dire price. The person must kill their best friend. Only then, can one have the Mangekyou." He stated simply.

The medic stared at him for a few moments. He had to kill someone? Oh, wow. Who did he kill? Another question. For later. It was his turn, anyway.

"You are a medic. I assume you work in the hospital. What rank are you there?"

Sakura quickly realized he was now after her personal information. Why did he need that? She guessed she flew under the radar on Akatsuki information gathering…

"I'm a jounin… with special privileges. I usually heal Anbu after they come back from missions, despite myself not being part of the fleet. Other than that, I have a regular shift at the hospital." Another approving nod from the elder Uchiha brother.

"You had help that night, during the massacre. Who helped you? I know they had to have had a strong kekkai genkai." She stared at him. This was a crucial point…

Well, the little pink-haired kunoichi impressed him with that remark… He didn't think she'd catch on to that detail so quickly. His confidence in her abilities shot up several notches. He watched her take another sip from her cup, to finish off its contents. Itachi watched her fingers twitch, to flip the cup over on the table. She wouldn't be making a pyramid tonight…

Itachi smirked at her. Unexpectedly, she struck her foot out to step on his own. Itachi quickly moved his foot out of the way.

"Ah, you are certainly clever, Sakura. I did have help. And you are correct. The person did possess a kekkai genkai. It was another Uchiha member. Uchiha Madara." He watched her face for an expression.

Her looked was disbelief. "But, he and the First Hokage created Konoha decades ago! He should be dead by now…"

"Sakura, I believe it is my turn for a question." She glared at him. "Why did you just try to break my foot?"

"I told myself the next time an Uchiha smirked at me, I'd break his foot. I was in a bad mood. You pissed me off. On several levels."

For once, Itachi wanted to laugh. In fact, he felt the need to. Why not?

Sakura watched as the Prick's mouth turned into a smile and he let out a small laugh. _What the hell? He was capable of that? I didn't think he _could_ laugh._

Really, this was a lot of information to take in. But the fact that Uchiha Itachi could _laugh_ certainly threw her off more than anything.

"You… can _laugh_?" She sputtered out.

"Of course. But it has been a long time… I have not had reason to, for quite a while. Nor been in good company. Now, Sakura. What do you think of Winter?"

He really loved throwing her all around conversation topics. This was ridiculous. _And_ he was smirking again. What a Prick! That was ok, she had a plan.

"Winter? Uchiha Itachi, you certainly are getting personal." She said playfully. _Girl, you're flirting with him. Thought you'd like to know._ Sakura immediately dropped the playful banter and answered his question honestly. "Well, Konoha doesn't really get cold and therefore, it doesn't snow. It's sad; I think it looks very pretty… I wish I could see it more. I only see it when I have to travel north."

Itachi's eyes lit up. Haruno Sakura truly had captured his attention. He saw her mouth turn up in a smirk of its own… What was she planning now?

Sakura decided to pull out all the stops. There was a much simpler way of getting this information. Why didn't she think of it before?

"Uchiha. Tell me everything about the night of the Uchiha massacre."

* * *

So... that was all over the place...

Everyone thought Itachi was going to make a visit at the manor... Bahaha, nope! But I felt guilty, because everyone had their hopes up for more ItaSaku action. Ergo, this chapter is longer the others... and it was because I missed the Uchiha, too.

Oh, this should be fun.

But sorry about the chapter being awhile. Classes started this week... then I had a marching band banquet...

Either way, let me know what you think! And hooray for Itachi's philosophical musings.

-Kiwi


	6. Abu Rawash

So... Maryland got its butt handed to it with that Blizzard. Thank you, Itachi. I'm no longer going to talk about snow/winter with you. Because I know it's your fault.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters in Naruto. Said characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Itachi stared at the kunoichi in front of him. She had already exceeded his expectations in several details pertaining to that night. After doing pointless question and answer, she finally decided to stop beating around the bush. Haruno Sakura asked one vague question, which would answer everything. The Uchiha mulled over her demand. The medic would be in for a rough night, when she heard everything he had to say.

"You are sure you want to know? It may shatter everything you once knew about your village's history." He stated simply. He would give her a way out before her beliefs were dismantled.

Sakura stared hard at Uchiha Itachi. She didn't move, hardly breathed- just thought about what he said. Whatever was going to be told this night, would undoubtedly break her down mentally.

_Well, you've already discovered he wasn't alone in the killing. He confirmed he had help… And it was Uchiha Madara! Isn't that guy supposed to be dead? We're already confused as hell. We might as well let him tie off the loose ends._ True… Sakura didn't like to leave things unfinished. And without the Prick to fill in the holes, she'd go crazy on assumptions. Besides, where else better to get the facts, than straight from the source?

"Yes, please tell me. If you didn't want someone to know, then you wouldn't be in this bar." Her voice was hard and her eyes narrowed. Because really, there was no other reason for his behavior. He _wanted_ to talk. He _wanted_ someone to know. The fact that he made contact with her a second time only proved that she was the one he was going to trust the matter to.

The Sharingan-user looked at her. Once again, he applauded her perception.

"You are very clever, Sakura. I imagine you were top of your class in the academy."

_He's trying to distract you… But with a compliment? Don't fall for it!_

"I was. I made it a point to work hard. It clearly paid off." Sakura replied.

Itachi thought about the kunoichi. She truly was brilliant. Sakura was intelligent, witty, kind, yet formidable. She was a medic- by no means an easy field. That alone told him she had near perfect chakra control. And being an apprentice of the Hokage herself… Sakura was a diamond in the rough. One of a kind. And he most certainly enjoyed this fact.

"Uchiha. I don't want to repeat myself." He voice was strong and blunt.

"Ah, Sakura. I offer you one last chance to back down from your intellectual quest." The man put his elbow on the table, slowly putting his chin in his upright hand.

"And I offer you one last chance to stop dodging the damn question I'm asking." She glared at him. "You're going to be the bane of my existence tonight. I can already tell." Screw control. Sakura picked up her sake cup and inhaled it. She needed to take some edge off.

The missing-nin nodded at her and collected his thoughts. If she wanted to know that badly… and the Copy-nin was surely listening in on this conversation, as well... then he'd tell her.

"As you studied, Konoha was founded by two clans; the Uchiha and Senju. The leaders of each clan were Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama. When the time came to elect a leader of the new village, Senju became the first Hokage. Even the Uchiha had voted for the Senju, leaving Madara alone. Of course, Madara was enraged and challenged Hashirama, at the Valley of the End. From there, he was believed to be dead."

Sakura nodded. She knew all of this already, thanks to textbooks. She waited silently for him to continue.

"After that, Uchiha Madara fell into the shadows. Unfortunately, several years ago, the kyuubi attacked Konoha. The elders believed the Uchiha had something to do with the occurrence and forced my clan to reside within a specific district. Because of this, the Uchiha began planning to take over Konoha and overthrow the Third Hokage. It took several years, after I had climbed the ranks to Anbu, when my clan tried to use me, to gain insight on the village. But their wishes were in vain, as I actually was still working for the Third as a double agent."

Itachi watched the pinkette's mouth start to drop. Little did she know, he was going to drop a few more surprises her way…

"The kyuubi was actually summoned by Madara." Sakura began to open her mouth, but Itachi cut her off. "Before you ask, yes, he was still alive. I do not know how, but I believe something with his chakra is important to his life cycle. Anyway, Madara had approached me when I was working as a double agent. He was still bitter about his past."

"Meanwhile, the Third Hokage knew of the Uchiha's planned coup d'état, courtesy of myself, and tried to solve the dispute quietly. Unfortunately, the Third's passive attempts were useless. This led to Danzo and the elders requesting action. Danzo claimed there was only one way to stop the threat: To kill it."

Sakura blanched… If what he was saying was true… then… then…

The dark-haired man took a sip from his sake cup. He took a small breath and stared the kunoichi in the eyes. This was where it would hit the fan. "Yes, Sakura. I killed my clan on orders by the elders and Danzo."

Sakura looked at the man in front of her. The man who was a killer of his own blood. Who made his brother a revenge fanatic. Who tried to kill her best friend! And now… He was merely an innocent pawn? What kind of twisted logic was this? _Let him finish, Sakura. You know that's what he's here for._

The medic bit back her words and nodded. Itachi saw her face contort and then go back to its original calmness. When he decided she would stay quiet, he continued his tale.

"As I said, Madara approached me, still resentful. I offered him the chance to help me kill the clan, but in exchange for not attacking Konoha. He accepted. I did not have the abilities to kill so many people, as you noticed. But I did possess the Mangekyou, though I did not have complete control. Madara had control over his…"

Itachi took a steady breath. "People in the clan were going suspicious of my behavior. Uchiha Shisui, my best friend, confronted me, and claimed he knew my situation. He was going to reveal my true loyalty… I killed him, and that is how I gained the Mangekyou."

The medic sat flabbergasted. However, she took the moment to throw in a question. "You were supposed to kill the whole clan. But you left Sasuke…." She trailed off.

Sakura watched as Itachi facial expression took on a sad, defeated look. It was amazing. She never thought he could show emotions like this. But now, the pieces were coming together and Itachi's true self was coming out.

Unless he was completely bullshitting her. But she'd let him talk. For now.

"I couldn't kill him. He meant too much to me. I needed him to be alive." He said quietly.

Sakura lost it. There was no way she would stay quiet after that statement. "You needed him alive? He meant too much to you? Yet you let him live in so much pain? Uchiha, he's been chasing after you for almost a goddamn decade. And you tell me you planned it like that? Bullshit. That's not acting very older-brother like."

Uchiha Itachi listened to her words. After her tirade, he gave her the saddest smile she'd ever seen. His eyes betrayed his emotions, for once, letting everything out. And Sakura understood why Sasuke was left alive.

"You wanted him to kill you. You still do. To make up for it all." He nodded at her.

She was at a loss for words. Everything had come spiraling into focus and much too quickly. But, why was he telling her all this _now_? Shouldn't he still be waiting for Sasuke to come and let it all die with him? Konoha was going be turned upside-down when this came out in the open. Suddenly, Sakura really hated the village elders and Danzo. More than ever. Anyway, wouldn't it just be simpler to let the truth die with Itachi than to bring a historical upheaval?

Sakura's intellectual reasoning didn't let her down. Only one reason popped out in her mind for his sudden divulging of secrets.

"You think he's gone." Her voice strained out.

He didn't need words. His eyes had told her enough. And for some reason, after hating Sasuke for so long, Sakura found herself fighting for breath and struggling to hold back tears.

Sasuke was dead.

It hit her hard, and her heart fell through the floor. He really was gone. All those awful things she thought about him. All those hurtful things she said. Not caring about him. Not wanting to see him ever again. Well, she never _would_ see him anymore.

Sakura braved a look at the Uchiha in front of her. He clearly had desired to die by his brother's hand, which was now impossible. What was he up to now? Why not just continue to life as a missining-nin? Where was the point in telling her?

Unfortunately, her thoughts were cut off as his voice entered the conversation.

"Now, Sakura. I believe it's my turn to ask you a question."

_What? He's back to _that_ now? After what he just told us? And he's playing it off like no big deal?_ The nickname still seemed to fit him, apparently.

The overwhelming sadness from the loss of her teammate quickly turned into aggravation.

Sakura bit out an oh-so-pleasant, "Sure, go ahead, Prick." Straight to his face.

Uchiha Itachi blinked. She blatantly called him a prick? In person? Oh, Itachi was finding this kunoichi more and more intriguing. It was such a pleasant change… Not having to act behind a cool façade. Itachi actually was enjoying himself; this bickering with the kunoichi was entertaining and was the most fun he had in a long time. But it might be just because he was forced to act like an emotionless killer for the better part of his life and tonight was the first deviation from that persona. Tonight, he was back to the compassionate, yet tormented soul he had always been.

Uchiha Itachi missed his old life. He wished for it. Haruno Sakura was giving him time so his original personality wither away to nothing. So she thought he was a "prick?" _That_ was funny. A deeper part of him wanted to teach this little pink-haired kunoichi a lesson: Uchiha Itachi was not who she thought. At all.

"As you wish, Sakura." Itachi paused. "But, unfortunately, I must go soon. One more question for the both of us is all I can afford. For my final question, I ask you, am I correct about the following assumptions? You said you were top of your class, which means academically, you were an intellectual genius. You are also a medic-nin, therefore, you have almost perfect chakra control. I may also venture to say, you've inherited several traits from the Hokage, as she is your teacher. I've heard rumors of a beautiful rosette kunoichi… You are involved in some relationship."

Sakura snorted. "You know, I'm onto you. You may have just named several things about me, but it doesn't take a genius to figure them out. I told you I was top of my class; It's a given that I am not stupid. Every medic must have perfect chakra control. It's a life or death situation. One slip could mean the worst. And it's common knowledge I train under Tsunade-Shishou. Clearly the drinking habits and temper gave me away, you dumbass. But you were wrong on the last point. I'm flattered others think I'm not ugly, but I'm not attached to anyone."

Sakura refilled her sake cup again, drunk the contents, and slammed the glass down on the table. "Looks like the Mighty Uchiha was incorrect in his calculations. It's ok. It was bound to happen at some point." The pinkette quickly refilled her glass and consumed the sake.

It was the final turn. One last question from her and then he'd leave. She debated on which question to ask, but for some reason, one thought was sticking out more than anything. It could add some stability to his story if he answered correctly. But oh, how she wished she could ask more questions… Still, this last one was important. And not just for her.

"Were you ever truly after Naruto? Or still are?" She asked tentatively.

For some reason, Itachi's eyes glazed over, in what looked like… appreciation? This was confusing. But she waited for his answer. He was such a Jackass. She could have asked many more questions tonight if he hadn't played the "I'm going to think everything over despite how simple the question is" game. But sure enough, he decided to speak… Several minutes later.

"After defecting from Konoha, I joined the organization, to keep an eye on their whereabouts. It was my mission to capture the kyuubi, on paper. But, your friend's capture was never my goal. He still is not."

Itachi watched as the kunoichi's shoulders sank down to the floor and she let out a sigh of relief. Sakura then looked at him and gave a small smile, which set off some warm feeling within him. Putting the feeling aside, he nodded at her.

The missing-nin stood up, placing several coins on the table, the pinkette throwing her own coins down. The sharingan user then watched in amusement as the girl reached down to flip her one cup upside-down on the table. Hardly a pyramid, but he guessed it was some habit.

Itachi's ingrained manners fired up again, as he held out his hand to the woman. Sakura stared at his hand for a moment, before it dawned on her what he wanted. She slowly placed her hand in his and he lightly pulled her up on to her feet.

Inner Sakura squealed.

Itachi let go of her hand. "Now, I believe I must depart. We shall meet again, Sakura, very soon. Though I expect you'll be less than thrilled when I see you next. Thank you for the evening. But please, do not tell the elders or Danzo of this. Your Hokage and a select, privileged few only may know, as of now. Please, let us leave." Sakura nodded at him and both of them walked to the door. Like before, the Gallant Prick held the door open, as she walked out. Itachi quickly followed behind.

As Sakura replied with an awkward "thank you," and a head nod, the bastard was gone. Again.

The medic stared the spot where he just had been. Well, that was an interesting evening. She looked down at the hand he had touched to help her out of her seat. It was an odd feeling when he did that. His hands weren't cold, like she had expected. They were actually… warm.

It was nice…

Except he was still a missing-nin and completely off-limits, her mind yelled out. Not that she was interested in him anyway! Not at all! Whatever. This was all ridiculous. It was best to just forget about those thoughts and think more about the important things. Like what really happened the night of the Massacre.

Sakura inwardly nodded and closed her eyes, trying to recollect all that he said. Man, that was a twist to the history books!

The medic opened her eyes and standing in front of her was Kakashi. He looked bored as usual, but his one eye was widened more than usual. _Guess he was taken aback, too, yeah?_

But his expressioned changed quickly, into his classic eye crinkle. Sakura groaned. She knew what that face meant.

"Well, Sakura-chan. Seems you've had an fun night!"

* * *

The Uchiha flew over the tree tops, lightly stepping on each branch, giving the momentum to reach the next.

He inwardly smiled.

Haruno Sakura… Yes, she was an interesting one. She blatantly called him names, challenged him constantly, and met his mental challenges. She was hard, but soft. She was rough, but smooth. All wrapped in one little package.

She was calling out to his attention and she had gotten it. Whether she wanted it or not.

So he told her what really happened. That was the next step to his plan. After this, she'd report to her Hokage, who would make her own opinion. Then, all that would remain was time. In the meanwhile, he was one little bit closer to his goal.

But it seemed that along the way, he'd found something interesting. That little pink-haired kunoichi.

Sakura had piqued his interest. He would like to encounter her more often and surely the way things were turning, he would get his wish. Their next meeting would be fairly soon and he could barely wait. Itachi found that he enjoyed himself when he was with her.

A thought occurred to him. Did he enjoy being with her because it _was_ her? Or just that it was someone who would listen? The first person with whom he could be himself again?

Itachi shut the latter thought out of his mind. No. It was because it _was_ her. She was something special.

He had to almost smile to himself. His last question was complete misdirection. The only part the mattered was if she was single or not. He had a reason for it; He was just curious. Besides, he believed he found a new hobby of making her mad and flustered.

It didn't really matter if she was involved with someone. He just liked to know everything about people. But one of his biggest problems was he still didn't know what she looked like, to begin with. Sure, he saw she had pink hair, was of small stature, with green eyes, and pale skin. But it all looked blurred and out-of-focus.

Itachi sighed. He was going farther and farther down the path of blind. He debated about keeping his eyes onyx or switch to the sharingan.

The sharingan was taking away his eyesight, which was not in his best interest. His best interest was Sakura… and he wanted to see her again. For several reasons.

With his decision made up, dark gray eyes continued to look out into the trees.

* * *

"Well, that was unexpected." Kakashi drawled out. Sakura knew what he was doing. They had been traveling in the silence for the past half an hour, and her sensei was trying to get her to start a conversation. And she knew what would be the topic of interest.

"Yup." _Maybe he would give up?_

Kakashi didn't back down. He knew she was trying to be stubborn. He heard everything that went on in that bar, tonight… Yes, he was surprised at the Uchiha's story, but he always knew there was more than what was written down in the scrolls. It never sat right with him. However, his main topic to pursue involved flustering his kunoichi student. After tonight, his gut started to reaffirm its decision about the dangerous criminal and the medic.

He found himself smiling throughout most of their conversation, reading underneath the underneath to what the Uchiha was saying. Oh, he knew… But he didn't think Sakura figured it out, herself.

For being so smart, she could be really dumb.

Or Kakashi figured he'd been reading too much Icha Icha. But he went with his gut. Besides, Sakura's situation with the dark-haired nin was entertaining to think about, no matter how incredibly unlikely.

Yes… the Uchiha was being more companionable tonight… much like he was before, as Sakura stated in their first encounter. It was fascinating. And it didn't escape Kakashi's hearing that the rogue-nin had asked several personal questions about her…

Oh, it seemed like Uchiha Itachi was interested in Konoha's Cherry Blossom. Kakashi knew it wasn't a romantic interest, but it was some kind of interest… more like… a fascination, he guessed. Not to mention that there was a niggling in the back of his mind that it might turn into something more… But their conversation was fantastic to eavesdrop on, nonetheless.

And eavesdrop he did.

"So… he was certainly charming… don't you think?" He tried again.

"Yup." She was still hellbent on being stubborn, it seemed.

"Cause he seemed really interested in you… on some level…"

"Yup." Sakura started getting irritated. _Careful… or this will end up just like it did when Ino started prying…_

Kakashi loved the prying method. It was common knowledge to Sakura's friends that enough poking and prodding would end up in something good. Especially after drinking.

"I can only imagine what he'll have in mind for your next encounter…" He said, innuendo in mind.

"Oh, shut the hell up!" Sakura yelled.

Kakashi smirked._ Never fails_. He had to admit, riling her up was so much fun.

"Why are men so obnoxious! Why are you all so pushy? Really! It's so frustrating!" the medic continued shrieking, hands waving frantically in the air.

"Just saying…" As he shrugged, out of habit.

They continued jumping through the trees on their way home. It soon became quiet again, but Sakura broke the silence this time.

"Kakashi, what does it all mean? You think he was telling the truth?"

Kakashi mulled over tonight's happenings… "I think he is. It's all sad that the truth can be ugly, sometimes. What a sad life he's had, if what he says is true."

Sakura thought about it. That was true… If what the Uchiha said held some weight. "Ok, so we know his side of the story from that night. But why would he tell us? Why me?"

Kakashi sank his shoulders low to the ground. "Sakura, Sakura. You're not stupid. You've figured out more than he guessed, based on the compliments he gave you. He probably knew you were up to the task of figuring this all out. But I can't tell you _why_ he's doing this."

Silence ensued.

"So, he requested we don't tell Danzo and the old farts of his actions…," Kakashi mused. "That makes sense, considering they were the ones who put him up to all this, in the first place. Bunch of jackasses, they are. They don't give a shit about anybody. We'll honor his words and tell a selected few only… He said he would see you again… that should be fun."

Sakura snorted. "Yeah, well, I don't know what to do 'til then. No vague treasure hunts to follow. All I get to do is _think._ I really need to figure out why he's doing all this. I'm sure it'll come to me at some point."

A mumble of approval came from the Copy-nin.

There was quiet again. Sakura loved the forest when it was nighttime, when the sounds of nature filled the air. It was a peaceful time and it calmed her nerves from the frazzling evening she had just experienced. Sakura took a deep breath of the crisp night air, filling her lungs with the fresh coolness. It felt so good to be by yourself. No Naruto. No Ino. No Shishou yelling at her. No hectic hospital shifts… No frantic-

"So, he's a good lookin' fellow, right?" cackled her silver-haired companion.

Sakura almost punted him into a tree.

* * *

It was late the next evening, as the pinkette slowly crawled into her apartment. What a day. After the numbing prodding from Kakashi all the way home, followed by a report to the Hokage tower, Sakura was dead tired.

Kakashi and Sakura had reported everything to Tsunade about what the Uchiha said. Needless to say, she was pissed at the elders and Danzo for forcing one of their own to commit such a crime. Was that really necessary? Sakura swore she had never seen her Shishou so upset.

The pinkette knew that some training grounds were going to be destroyed later, courtesy of a Hokage and her fist.

But Tsunade seemed to take Kakashi's stance that Itachi was in fact telling the truth. Sakura wondered at how they could accept his story so readily. Her guess was that they just couldn't agree to the historical telling. Not to mention his out-of-character occurrences. But Tsunade, too, did not know the reasons behind his actions. Yet.

Time would tell, hopefully. Or at least until his Prickness decided to grace her presence again. In the end, Tsunade had dismissed Kakashi and Sakura in order for them to collect their thoughts and get back to their homes to rest. Sakura had never wanted to sleep more in her life.

So after a warm shower, Sakura changed, and landed herself on her bed. Like before, her mind decided that it wasn't sleepy-time yet, but time to think about every goddamned thing that happened to her in the recent time span.

Stupid thought process.

Sakura rolled over in her bed, stuffing her face into her pillows, willing herself to get sleepy. _It's not going to work. You and I both know it. We have things to discuss_. Fine.

So, the jerk had killed his clan on orders from the old fogeys. Uchiha Madara is still on the roam somewhere. Itachi left Sasuke alive so he could get stronger, to kill Itachi, for his own twisted atonement. Sasuke… was dead.

That struck a chord in her heart. She didn't know how she was going to tell Naruto. But it was her responsibility to do so, more than anyone else.

Speaking of which, Naruto had never been Itachi's goal in Akatsuki. The Uchiha was more of a double agent than anything.

So what the hell did all this mean?

Sakura tossed herself flat on her back and stared up at the ceiling. She didn't know. But it would have to come to her at some point… it always did…

_Can we please think about the more important things? Like how tight his shirt was when he unbuttoned his cloak? _The pinkette swallowed. It was true. Uchiha Itachi looked quite fine in the muscular domain. It had taken all her will power to stare at his face the entire conversation.

_Oh, his hand felt so warm!_ Ok, that was true, too. They weren't cold like she'd been expecting. Not to mention it was kind of nice to be treated like that…

Sakura turned onto her side. She was getting restless. Kakashi and Tsunade seemed to be so interested in her …twisted… relationship with the missing-nin. Of course, Shishou had been drunk when she stated her opinion, but Kakashi had listened in on the entire conversation last night. There was no denying the subtle flirting through the discussion. And the damn Copy-nin heard it all.

Why were they so intrigued by it anyway? He was a missining-nin! She wasn't! _Well, we know he might very well be innocent…_ Whatever. He wasn't now, at this very point in time_. But he might be later_…

Oh. That hadn't crossed her mind until now.

There was a possibility he might be reinstated as a Konoha nin. Slim chance… but still there.

Either way, Sakura couldn't deny she had enjoyed herself last night _except for the drunk guy trying to get with us. _It was nice… to be talked to politely. Treated like a lady, not a kunoichi. Damnit, she was a woman, too! And Kakashi and Naruto forgot that more often than not.

But Uchiha Itachi… seemed to notice. Or it was just his ingrained manners coming out, in which he just did it out of belated habit. She hoped for the former.

And he _was_ good looking. _Now you're talking!_ In retrospect, she found his onyx eyes much more entrancing than his sharingan variation. They were dark and alluring… His red eyes were just… freaky. _Truth_.

Sakura flipped back onto her stomach and screamed all her frustration out into her pillow. This. Was. Ridiculous! Why did he have to worm his little way into her life? She realized that there was no hope for him worming his little way out. He dug under her skin and she found herself… liking it? No, that wasn't right. Maybe she was just enjoying the attention.

Maybe…

He was a male. And dangerously handsome. And she was the _only one_ he had talked to. And to whom he had shown his more… sensitive side. Sakura took a guess; Kakashi was right. He did hold some weird interest with her. But what did he want?

Sakura muffled her scream into the pillow again.

Alright, so he was indeed her type of guy. Intelligent, strong, _handsome_, _polite. _Yes, yes. All of those. _Such a shame he was considered a criminal. Damn it all!_

He said he'd visit her soon and that she'd be less than thrilled when it happened… That meant, he'd appear unexpectedly at her. Well, where would that be? Oh. Konoha.

Whoa. Oh shit. Was he going to show up at her apartment? How would he know where she lived? Sakura smacked her face into her pillow again. This was ridiculous. Great. Now she had to be wary whenever she wanted to walk in her front door.

_Fabulous._

Well, it gave her permission to beat his face in, if he did. That kind of made her feel better.

Sakura tossed herself over to her side again, with a small prayer of getting tired. But apparently that last thought wasn't enough to let herself fall asleep. What else did she need to think about?

Sakura's mind landed her thinking about his looks again. _Surprise_. Yeah. Right.

His hair was a dark black, but not like his brother's. Sasuke had more of a blue mixed in. Itachi had some steel gray. Not to mention that his hair was longer. But it wasn't effeminate… But it wasn't a chicken-butt either. Sakura laughed.

He was muscular. _So true, girl_. His eyes were more feminine than his brother's. But that's what made them so alluring, she supposed. And he had those hard lines under his eyes. _Probably from lack of sleep or his conscience weighing down on him_. Must be.

In other words, he was _fine_. Ino was right, the Uchiha was dangerously close to what Sakura desired in a man. But he was still a criminal! And she was not going to start an illicit affair. No, sir.

Either way, she guessed on some level, she looked forward to their next meeting. But she would be on home ground. She had the advantage. And damnit, she would not hold back. She was not scared of him. She would not back down. And she'd be damned if his handsome features distracted her.

With newfound confidence, Sakura's mind finally put down the barrier to sleep.

* * *

So... My state got pummeled with snow from the Mid-Atlantic blizzard. Power went out and what not. But I didn't have class all week, which turned out great.

Anyway, tell me what you think!

-Kiwi

Oh and is it just me or is Sakura in the manga pissing anybody else off? Come on, girl. Figure it out.


	7. Sphinx

I just ate Dinosaur spaghetti-o's. I feel awesome.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters. Said characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

_A few years earlier_

_He slowly walked through the dark hallways. The underground compound certainly fit the sinister deeds that were undertaken in the darkness. The walls were dirt, with wood boards maintaining the structure, preventing cave in. The eerie lamps in the passages set off the mood that clearly read, "creepy." Nevertheless, one figure walked amongst the shadows that danced off the walls from those candles. He walked towards one specific room, where inside he would meet someone he needed to confront._

_The dark figure stepped through the corridors, silently. He wouldn't be a shinobi if he couldn't prove his stealth. Each step he took made no sound, no echo of his coming presence. That would not serve him well. Yes, surprise was needed in this case._

_He made his way casually down the hall, finally stopping at one particular door. He sensed it was just the one man inside and no one else. This was good; should it be more than the two of them, it would prove not in his favor. The man stared at the door in front of him. On the other side of the door, was another man, very much sick. He could hear the coughing, but also the loud cackles of… maniacal laughter? That was surely out of place. The sickly man was dying, yet he was laughing? The dark man set a grim line across his face. Something in his senses warned him to be cautious._

_He always trusted his senses._

_Without another thought, the man shot his lightning through the door, and into the chamber. The door remained upright, but he heard a small scream from inside. Good._

_Immediately, he cut down the door, but still keeping the first lightning shot intact. Once the door fell to the ground, the two men stared at each other._

_Orochimaru was sitting upright in his bed, white blankets strewn about him. There was a lightning blade running through both of his forearms, keeping them upright and out of use. However, the Sannin didn't seem fazed. This was all according to plan._

_The Sannin was getting older and his current body had almost lost its purpose. A new one was needed, quickly. The Snake-summoner had determined now was the time: Sasuke's body would now become his. As he sat on his bed, he felt his student's presence outside of his chamber door. Realizing his dream would finally come to life, he felt the overwhelming need to laugh. The young sharingan wielder's body would be his own. And sure enough, he was standing here in the doorway in front of him._

_This couldn't be more perfect._

_It didn't matter if his arms were currently useless. That was no problem to overcome. He wasn't a Sannin for nothing; Orochimaru had tricks up his sleeve and he was going to use them. As he stared at the young boy, the pale man recounted his past trials._

_He had discovered the elder brother's genius when the boy was much younger. Uchiha Itachi was a rightly born prodigy. And those powers, abilities, and kekkai genkai of his sparked Orochimaru's attention. Orochimaru was greedy and he had no problem trying to get what he desired._

_Unless of course, the desired trophy decided to play hard to get, as Itachi had done. The elder brother evaded and overpowered him, all because of those eyes. The Sharingan eyes that swirled red with black. Those eyes he so desperately wanted to have within his control._

_Greed._

_He wanted what he couldn't have. Knowledge was powerful. Jutsu came with knowledge and Orochimaru wanted all of it. Every jutsu. Every technique. He wanted it all to be under his control. But there was no way to learn them all in a lifetime. But that's when he discovered the loophole: Immortality. He needed a body. Nothing less than an Uchiha would do. And Itachi was specifically at the top of the list._

_Life was short. Too short and too fragile. It was taken for granted and not used to full potential. A human's life span was so insignificant, it wasn't fair. Of course, a shinobi's life was even shorter than a civilian's. The cruel nature of it all… the Sannin couldn't fathom how he could live to the fullest when he had already discovered he was going to die one day. It was a blow hard to his stomach. Once you realize death was coming for you, it seemed there was no purpose in living. It was all for nothing._

_But Orochimaru found that by swapping bodies, he would live. And continue to live and learn. This was perfect. Except Itachi still did not belong to him. The Sharingan… that was what he wanted more so than anything. But he could not have it. It was so close, yet so far._

_And then it got farther when the Sannin had left the village to join Akatsuki. But then, one day, Pein had announced a new member would arrive… Imagine his delight when his object of desire walked in…_

_Uchiha Itachi._

_The Uchiha had walked in the door, stood defiantly, and displayed the aura of man who had a goal. He had found the reason for living. As Itachi stood in the doorway, eyes glittered at the members in Akatsuki._

_Orochimaru's desire just came closer once again._

_Unfortunately, it disappeared just as fast. Upon trying to overtake the elder brother, Orochimaru was clearly the weaker combatant. Itachi's genjutsu disabled the Sannin rather easily and it was because of those eyes…_

_The snake summoner quickly determined that Uchiha Itachi was out of his league for body takeover. That left his younger brother… Sasuke. Sure enough, the younger brother was fueled by hatred of the older. He was determined to live, only to kill. But Sasuke needed power._

_Orochimaru could give it. And give it, he did._

_Now, the time had finally come for his dream to come true. The Sharingan would become his own weapon. Here it was: Sasuke standing right in front of him. Orochimaru let out a smirk, for the battle over Sasuke's body and powers would now begin._

_Sasuke stood in the door frame and Orochimaru was smirking at him. It occurred to him that despite his sickly state, his mentor would still be formidable; He was a Sannin, after all. The Sannin sat on his bed, with his arms to his left, stuck in crossed position due to the lightning holding them in place._

_The Uchiha opened his mouth, spilling out his limited thoughts. "I have nothing left to learn from you," he declared._

_Sasuke was an Uchiha- he wasn't stupid. He knew Orochimaru was after him, only because Itachi was out of reach. It was almost sad, Orochimaru was so hellbent on his goal, that he jumped from hideout to hideout; said goal was to gain the Uchiha kekkai genkai. He relayed this to the Sannin._

_"And, I don't like the way you do things around here. You continued to toy with others for your own stupid and selfish reasons. You make me sick." Sasuke spat out._

_Orochimaru almost laughed. After Sasuke's declarations, he wanted to yell out 'hypocrite.' So Sasuke didn't like how he was doing things? Toying with others? For his own reasons? Well, didn't _that_ seem familiar. As far as he knew, Sasuke took advantage of his old teammates, fighting with the Fox boy almost to the death, just to gain the Mangekyou, to use against his brother. Or perhaps how he left Konoha for ambition and power? Was that not selfish? Sasuke's logic was ridiculous. And then he had the nerve to claim that he, Orochimaru, was hellbent on a goal. _That _was hilarious. Here Sasuke was, defecting from his village, trying to kill his own teammates for new techniques, taking refuge in an underground cavern, training with a missing-nin, and all because he wanted to kill his brother. What crap._

_The Sannin let out a small laugh. At this, Sasuke jumped from the door way to the bed, preparing to strike his sword through his mentor's throat. As he closed in on the movement, Orochimaru shot something out of his mouth, across the room. Knowing his techniques, Sasuke stopped moving, and turned to face the other direction._

_Orochimaru had finally shown his true form, the discarded body still lay on the bed, in a heap of skin and clothes, lifeless. Sasuke was now staring at a giant white snake and it was hideously ugly._

_The snake was entirely white, save for the mess of black hair on its head, and golden eyes. Its scales comprised of smaller white snakes, which were able to move of their own will. The mouth of the giant snake opened up, laughing at the Uchiha._

_Orochimaru's snake form started lunging at Sasuke, who cut off several of the smaller snakes. As fast as he cut them off, other snakes seemed to come back at him. Sasuke's mind came into focus, creating a plan. The Uchiha remained still, as Orochimaru's snakes started to whirl around his body. Cackling with delight, the Sannin slowly enveloped the young boy._

_Sharingan eyes shinging bright, Sasuke immediately called out the Curse seal's power. Every snake that had enclosed him suddenly were shredded, flying down to the floor. The single move had killed several more snakes than he had done with his sword alone._

_Snakes littered the floor, blood splattered the walls, and a gasping Orochimaru stared at the Uchiha. Sasuke himself looked alert and wary, with no signs of tire showing. But, the Snake knew better. He had trained the boy, after all, and this strong composure hid what Sasuke was truly feeling._

_He was tired and loosing chakra._

_The Snake smiled and decided it was time for the final showdown of Master and Student. The Takeover process would now begin…_

_Sasuke blinked and found himself in a dark world. Moving muscles seemed to coat the floor and slowly grab at his feet. Around him, he could see several other people, completely shrouded in said moving tissues. It seemed Orochimaru was beginning the process to take him over. The other people must be the former vessels for his body swapping._

_The moving muscles began working their way up his ankles to his legs. Knowing that he would need to remain calm, to think, Sasuke refused to move._

_Orochimaru appeared before him, covered in the moving organs also, his long tongue hanging from his mouth. He began moving towards his student, his intent clearly written on his face._

_Sasuke reached for his sword. He couldn't. A small wave of panic began to settle in; he couldn't move. He tried to flare out chakra, but it seemed he had used too much up in the earlier battle._

_Orochimaru was getting closer. His golden eyes focused on the Uchiha before him._

_The young avenger was now completely engulfed in the nasty muscles. Only his face was to be seen and what he saw was not good. The Sannin was now right before him, reaching out for him. Sasuke couldn't move._

* * *

_Kabuto had finished preparing medicine for his beloved master. Upon closing in on his bed chambers, Kabuto noticed something wrong and peered around the doorway. he saw Sasuke, standing with his sword drawn and a giant white snake lay motionless on the floor. The medic's eyes widened. What had happened? Obvious the student and teacher had fought, but who had won?_

_Sasuke called out, "Kabuto, is that you?" and began making his way out the room. He passed the medic and continued down the hallway._

_Kabuto needed to know, "Which one… are you?" Sasuke turned around, his face fully turned to him. Gold sprinkled his dark pupils. With a smile, Sasuke walked away._

_Kabuto smirked. It seemed Sasuke had finally fallen to the darkness._

* * *

The training ground was a complete mess. Craters were formed all through the ground, trees were upturned, and grass ripped completely out of the soil. Naruto and Sakura lay on the ground, eyes to sky. The smiles on both their faces showed that what had taken place was considered a fantastic training session.

"Geez, Naruto. That was rough. You almost had me a few times," Sakura sighed out. It was true, he had hidden shadow clones in every goddamned corner, behind every tree and bush, and ambushed her everywhere. Somewhere in her mind, Sakura wondered at how unfair it was. It seemed Naruto had an infinite amount of chakra to spare _and_ could train several hundred times faster than others. He could improve at phenomenal rates, while she was reduced to the good old fashioned personal training time.

"Yeah, but your fists will always catch me off guard," He consoled. Sakura smiled to herself; that was true, as well. Throwing her fist into the ground could cause a lot of damage…

"That felt good, didn't it?"

"Yup, sure did. Though why did you want to train first thing off a mission? Should you be resting? You got back only yesterday, Sakura-chan. And you had an incredibly long meeting with Baa-chan, right after you got back! Why are you so spunky?" Naruto chided.

Sakura remained quiet. After the story the Uchiha had told her and the restless night sleep, all she felt like doing was destroying something. Every contact point with her fist, she had imagined with the dumb prick's face on it. He sure was causing her a whole lot of trouble. It seemed all she could do was think about him! _You're starting to take a liking to him_, Inner Sakura sang out.

Taking Sakura's silence, he took a guess as to her personal woes. "Did you meet the Uchiha again?" He tried sounded nonchalant in his question, but Sakura picked up on the darker tone. Naruto still hadn't accepted Itachi's intentions, but she surmised after being chased by a powerful organization for the better part of his life, it was hard to forgive someone of that.

"Yeah, I did. I got sent through the ringer this time…" With that, Sakura told Naruto of the truth behind the Massacre. When she finished, she looked over at her teammate. His mouth was wide open and he was staring at her with disbelief.

"What? Are you kidding me? Please tell me you don't believe that bullshit, Sakura. He's obviously up to something! He _has_ to be!" Sakura put on a uneasy expression… This was going to be much harder than she thought… and she still had another blow to tell her best friend.

Naruto wasn't finished. "This is insane, Sakura-chan! There's no way that's what happened. He went crazy all those years ago. No duh, Danzo is a nasty guy, and _maybe_ he would order something like that, but I just can't believe it. And he wants Sasuke to kill him to make it all better? This is so stupid!" Naruto was veering on the edge of an outburst. "He put the teme through so much trouble and he thinks _this_ is the best plan of action? I _don't _believe it!"

"I know, Naruto, this does seem off, but after analyzing the records from before, I think he's telling the truth. Kakashi agrees, and even Shishou finds some truth to it." Sakura tried. She had a feeling this would only get worse.

"No. You're wrong. He's evil. That's all there is to it. He's just playing some messed-up game with you, Sakura. That _has_ to be it. I don't know what kind of twisted game it is, but it's certainly centered all around you!" The blonde yelled.

Sakura took a deep breath. Deciding it was now or never, she figured she may as well drop the other bout of information Itachi had given her.

"Naruto, there's something else I need to tell you."

"Oh, goddamnit, Sakura-chan. What on earth is there possibly to tell now? Haven't you thrown enough at me already? What more could there be? I don't think anything else could surprise me now." He bit out.

The pinkette bit her lip. This was not going to end well. Bracing herself with a deep breath, she dealt the final blow.

"Naruto, Sasuke's… he's, well." Naruto looked impatient, his scowl telling her to just spit it out. Forcing herself to be strong, she willed out the awful words. "Sasuke is dead."

Silence fell upon the training ground. The blonde stared at his teammate, who was extremely upset.

"You're wrong. Let me guess, _he_ told you this? Well, _he's_ wrong. There's no way." Naruto stated. But as he looked at his teammate, he saw her face turning red and eyes turning glassy. Alarms went off. Sakura hardly cried… was it true? No, it couldn't be. Disregarding Sakura's actions, Naruto continued.

"How do you know he's gone? Well? How do you know?" He started off calm, but by the time ended, he was yelling at Sakura. "There's no way! No way! I don't believe a word of it! Sasuke is strong! He can't be dead! I refuse to say it's true!"

Sakura forced herself to keep tears in and decided it was time to try to reason with her teammate. "Naruto, we haven't seen him for years! We've haven't even heard anything from him!"

"That's still no reason for us to think he's dead! Maybe he's just been laying low for the whole time, waiting for the right moment!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Because you know that's bullshit! Sasuke tried to attack his brother when he was _twelve_! He doesn't think things through! You really think he would sit still that long? It makes sense what Itachi is telling us!" Sakura was yelling now, too.

"Itachi, eh? So you're on first name basis with him now? I think you should still be focusing on your teammate, not his brother. Besides, you aren't giving Sasuke enough credit! You should have more faith in your teammates than this, Sakura! I refuse to give up on him. Not until I see it with my own eyes. I can't believe you'd trust some missing-nin so quickly! He only waltzed into your life, what? A week ago? And you're already taking his word instead of mine? I'm your best friend! You should trust me before him! I can't believe you! How could you do such a thing? What else is going on? You two are now going on dates in various bars, drinking yourselves merry. You sleeping with him, too? What kind of relationship exactly is going on between you guys? Sakura, I feel like I don't even know you anymore!"

Sakura stared at Naruto, mouth open. He was raging mad, with red starting to speckle his eyes. This wasn't good. Well, he wasn't listening to her, but he was yelling at her, and now accusing her of being romantically involved with Uchiha Itachi? Sakura's eyes quickly turned from hurt to anger. Without sparing her teammate another glance, she stood up and walked away.

* * *

The pinkette trudged back to her apartment and stood in front of her door. She swore, if there was an Uchiha member sitting on her couch, she would kill him. She was about to try and sense any unknown presences before she walked in, but realized that was stupid. He could hide his chakra signature perfectly and she would never detect it. But, some part of her realized that he liked messing with her, and might blantantly put his signature out there for her to see.

No, that was dumb. He would risk being caught by other Konoha ninja. Without another thought, Sakura opened her door and walked inside. Meandering around her apartment, she found she was alone. No red-eyed demon was inside her home. _I think you mean 'Dark prince,' yeah?_ The medic cursed her inner persona. She then plopped herself onto her couch, bringing her knees to her chest.

Naruto was never going to believe her. Never. Well, she tried to convince him, but it seemed that his hatred for the Uchiha was deeply rooted and would never come undone. Of course, he had rightful reasoning to think so…

But Sakura's analytic mind couldn't deny the Uchiha's story. Naruto tended to think on emotion more so than anything. Sakura thought based on facts and reasoning and therefore, Uchiha Itachi's story made sense to her. But what didn't make sense is why he was doing all this.

That wasn't important right now. Naruto was pissed at her and frankly, she was pissed at him.

It wasn't like she didn't trust Naruto over the Prick… it was just in this instance, one story made more sense than the other. Of course she would side with the more logical one… That was just how she was.

And Sakura refused to call their meeting a 'date.' What was Naruto trying to say with that? It was a meeting! A gathering! A little get-together. And it had been a mission to do so! It was not a date. _Oh, you know you want to call it that_. Sometimes, Sakura wished her inner self wasn't so hormonally driven.

But what had angered Sakura the most, and threw her off just as much, was that Naruto had insinuated she was sleeping with Uchiha Itachi. That had hurt… Naruto knew Sakura was loyal to Konoha. He _had_ to know that…

Yet he declared that she was romantically involved with a criminal. That could not be farther from the truth. Hadn't she just thought about this last night? She would not put herself in a position which would jeopardize her loyalty!

It wasn't her fault that the Uchiha had decided to take an interest in her! Besides, maybe it wasn't even an 'interest.' Perhaps it was just a coincidence. A coincidence that repeated…

Sakura fell sideways onto her couch, curling into the fetal position. This was just awful. Naruto was flaming mad at her and would probably remain that way for decades to come. It seemed the only people she could talk to were Kakashi and her Shishou. Just two people. That sure put a lot of weight on her shoulders…

She had to bear so much by herself. It wasn't like Kakashi or Tsunade were putting themselves at a table in a tavern. They didn't have to forcibly have a conversation with a missing-nin. A missing-nin who was extremely clever and wanted to know personal information. And it wasn't like a missing-nin was going to show up inside their living spaces without notice! Honestly, why did all this have to fall on her?

Sakura stretched out on the couch, uncurling from the fetal position. She was stronger than this. She would not be intimidated! Hadn't she said that last night, as well? She would not let him get the better of her! Staying curled up in a ball would not help in the least. Now sitting up on the couch, Sakura decided it was time to take action.

For a shower.

She was beat up, after all, and her clothes were dirty. She needed to clean up anyway. The medic stood up and walked to her bathroom. After entering the small room, she locked the door. Just in case.

She turned on the water and stripped while waiting for it to get hot. Once finished, she stepped inside the tub and into the spray of water. The heat hit her head and back and it just felt so good. Sakura stood there for a few moments letting the water fall onto her back, just to allow a few minutes of peace to overtake her.

She reached for the shampoo, poured some into her hand, and began massaging it into her hair. Sakura wanted to think about her predicament, but soon noticed thinking about Uchiha Itachi, while she was in the shower, was slightly uncomfortable and disturbing.

But she did it anyway.

Rinsing out the shampoo, she thought about what he said. Sasuke was dead. She couldn't believe it had affected her so much. She thought all those emotions were shut away, behind locked doors, but it seemed like her ex-teammate still was important to her.

The conditioner started getting rubbed into her head. Well, he never said Sasuke was dead… she just said he was 'gone.' But that meant dead. Or at least she assumed.

For once, Sakura found herself intently thinking about Sasuke. In the shower. And it was just as awkward. Sasuke had left Konoha when he was thirteen… He gone to Orochimaru… to train to get stronger in order to defeat his brother. But Orochimaru had his own goals: he wanted Sasuke's body after failing to get Itachi's. If she remembered correctly, it had something to do with living forever and wanting the Sharingan for himself.

The last time anyone heard from Sasuke was two years ago. He was traveling with some girl, a guy with a giant sword, and a really tall guy. It had been an accidental meeting, but Naruto still tried to get Sasuke to come back to Konoha. The reunion didn't last long, as Sasuke and his team split up and outran her Konoha team.

Sakura wanted to laugh at his new teammates. But realized darkly that one of them reminded her of her earlier life. The girl's name was Karin and she was completely smitten with Sasuke. It was easy to see, her cooing and affectionate glances thrown at him. It had made Sakura sick to her stomach, knowing she had been like that once.

The pinkette had rinsed out the conditioner by now and was reaching for shower soap. She allowed her mind to go blissfully blank as she worked to rub off the dirt and grime from her legs and arms. Letting the soap flow down off her body and into the drain, she rested her head against the shower wall. The cool tile brought much relief to her aching head.

This was just so much to process, but she did not like to leave things half finished. Sakura continued with her train of thought… So Sasuke had gone off the radar in the last two years… And their last meeting hardly lasted more than a few minutes. She couldn't believe how much he had changed. His chakra practically radiated evil- It was so dark and powerful.

It scared her, almost. Even Itachi's chakra wasn't that sinister. But now that she thought about it, the Prick's chakra didn't seem to bother her anymore…

Focusing her mind back on track, she thought about Sasuke's demeanor change. His energy was just so… stifling. It was like it was hard to breathe- she was suffocating. She couldn't remember a time when she felt so pinned to one place.

Well, yes she could. When Gaara had attacked her during the Chunnin exams, that sure as hell had been scary. Or the fight with Sasori… that still gave her nightmares. And the Forest of Death, when Orochimaru had first appeared and gave Sasuke the curse seal… that was absolutely horrifying.

Sakura's eyes opened.

No one had heard from Orochimaru in two years either…

Could it be? Sakura lifted her head off the tile wall. Yes, it made some sense. Did Orochimaru take over Sasuke? That would explain a few things: The change in chakra, the laying low for two years, the lack of Orochimaru sightings…

Orochimaru's chakra was eerily dark, just as dark as Sasuke's had been. And Orochimaru would be the type to be more… strategical. He would stay off the radar for a few years.

Alright. Now where did she go from here? So Sasuke was taken over. That hurt even worse than him just being dead. That meant, they would probably encounter him again at some point, and that would be downright heartbreaking. They would find their teammate under the control of the twisted Snake Sannin. And be forced to kill him.

Itachi _must_ know of Sasuke's potential takeover. Well, of course he did. He was smart, but she was too, being able to deduct this theory. So what did Itachi gain from all this?

She didn't know. Giving up, Sakura took a step out of the shower to reach a towel. Drying herself and wrapping it around her, she opened her bathroom door.

No one was to be seen. _At least he knows better…_ We can only hope.

Sakura walked into her bedroom, shutting and locking the door behind her, too. She felt like she couldn't be too careful… Damn him for putting her on such edge. Reaching into her drawer and pulling out the familiar shorts and red top, she took off the towel and got dressed.

It was evening now and she needed some dinner. Perhaps if she meandered around the village long enough, she'd find someone to eat with. She could only hope she wouldn't run into Naruto or Ino. Ino would surely be after more details from the first encounter after the cliffhanger she had gotten at the bar. And once Ino got more details, well, that couldn't be good. In combination with Naruto's reaction, she didn't need everyone thinking she was involved with Uchiha Itachi.

Apparently, her only hope was Kakashi. It seemed that her old sensei was all she could depend on now, since Tsunade was busy, and Naruto wanted to scream and yell "traitor" and "whore" at her.

Belatedly, she realized Kakashi would probably tease her about the other night. Suddenly, Kakashi's company didn't look like a good idea. If she didn't know any better, she would think he enjoyed flustering her up. It must be some trait that came with a sharingan. Sakura sighed and gave in to the fact she would have to eat alone. _Oh, come on_. _There's got to be _someone_ out there who we can eat with and not look like loners_. The medic thought about it… yes, there had to be someone.

With that idea, Sakura walked back over to the living area. She picked up her boots and put them on her feet. Standing up, she walked out the front door, and locked it.

* * *

Oh, whoops. I killed Sasuke. Kind of.

I figured I need to tie up a few loose ends...

Anyway, let me know what you think! And now I suppose I'll go practice for my music lesson now.

-Kiwi


	8. Ouroboros

I want to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed and/or read up til now! Now, on with the show!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters in Naruto. Said characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

"Eh, Naruto will come around," the man across from Sakura drawled out. She had relayed her entire adventure to him, and asked him to give his opinion. It had taken quite a bit time...but she told him _everything_.

He continued speaking, "But, I think you've got a bigger problem ahead of you." At this point, he scooted his chair back, as far as possible. Without warning, he slowly put his chin on the table.

Sakura glared at him. That _wasn't_ what she wanted to hear.

It was incredibly lucky, really; the medic was meandering around the streets of Konoha, trying to find a dinner companion. She didn't want to look like a loser, and eat by herself… And she had decided Kakashi was completely out the picture based on the tormenting that was bound to come with his company.

But sure enough she stumbled upon someone who was alone, and she could put up with for a dinner friend. He was shuffling along, with a scowl on his face, and hands in his pockets. The ever-present laid back attitude practically surrounded him as he walked past her. Once seeing him, Sakura made her move and called him over.

And here they were. In a small restaurant on the opposite part of the village, far away from Ichiraku, where Naruto would surely be. Sakura did not need to be yelled at in public by him, or be humiliated. If she did see Naruto tonight, he would without a doubt, scream out that she'd been "seeing Uchiha Itachi" and that would only be troublesome.

Speaking of troublesome, the well-known user of the phrase was now staring at her, but not quite.

Sakura looked at Shikamaru. He was probably spacing out, into his own little world, like he usually did when he was thinking about something. And by 'something,' she meant, 'a dark-haired, emotionless goober.'

The strategist sighed. Why did he bother coming here again? He only wanted to go get take-out somewhere, and then head back to his place… He was almost to the food stall, when Sakura had called out to him, claiming that she needed to speak with him about something urgent. Women were such a bother… But he wasn't one to say 'no.' Besides, he really didn't feel like putting up with the Hokage's disciple of medical ability, strength, and temper.

It was just easier to mumble out a "meh," and follow her to some restaurant than to put up a fight. Only once they sat down and ordered, had Sakura revealed her past week's happenings. He partially ignored all the little details of flirting. Sakura may have not wanted that all to come across, but the way she was blushing and evading his eyes, clearly pointed to the strange…interests either ninja had in the other.

Whatever. It wasn't his business. He was just stating the facts. But Naruto would forgive her, at some point. That guy could forgive anyone, just about. He gave out second chances like Gai gave challenges to Kakashi. It just happened way too often. Sakura was his teammate, so it was hardly a matter of whether or not he would forgive; more like _when_ he would.

Thinking over the rest of the conversation and details, Shikamaru came to a conclusion regarding the Uchiha's actions. He couldn't help but think that this was just so exhausting… It was late in the day and he really didn't feel like doing this… but once again, denying the second most hot-blooded female in the entire village would be a bad choice…

"So… I think I've got him figured out." The shadow-user claimed. "We know he wanted to be killed by Sasuke, but obviously, that can't happen. So what do you think would be his priority now?"

Sakura stared at him. _You know, I hate it when he makes things way too obvious, and we feel dumb because we missed it_. "Well, um…"

The strategist blinked. "Sasuke was his ticket to repent for his actions. Without Sasuke, his plan got screwed up. But yeah, he cared about his brother… I figure he wants to kill Sasuke now, and save him from Orochimaru."

The pinkette chewed her lip. Holy crap, the surprises just kept coming, didn't they? Then Shikamaru's statement sunk in. Itachi… wanted to kill… Sasuke?

_What?_

Pink eyebrows furrowed together. _Yes, it _does _make sense. He cared about Sasuke, so seeing him now under the devil's influence surely put a damper on Itachi's plans. Now, Itachi's on the path of saving Sasuke… How twisted this all turned out._

Yeah, how ironic. The elder brother left the younger alive, so the younger would get stronger and kill the older. But then Sasuke got power-hungry and fucked everything up. Now, the Prick's plan is foiled, and the one he was trying to save, is lost to the darkness. The same darkness Itachi was trying to save Sasuke from to begin with. It seemed Itachi's decision to save Sasuke all those years ago bit him in the ass. _Guess you can't outrun it all, can you? Itachi had to kill everyone in his clan… he put it off, and it's finally come to that._

Shikamaru rolled his head forward, so his forehead was now flat on the table. "Sakura, you've got yourself caught up in the middle of a big mess."

"Really, Shikamaru? Even _I_ don't need to have your IQ to figure that out." Sakura deadpanned. Sometimes it aggravated her, how ridiculously smart he was… She wasn't stupid, by any means, but he just figured out the whole damn situation in a matter of _minutes_. She'd been through a week of hell and she had almost gone on a rampage more times than she could count. Between the infuriating encounters with the Impenetrable Wall of Emotions that Uchiha Itachi possessed on his face, Kakashi and Tsunade's chiding about said encounters, Naruto screaming at her, finding out Sasuke was in control of Orochimaru, and then not being able to drink while at a bar, while some obnoxious guy hit on her… Sakura had no idea how every training ground wasn't remodeled from her fist.

It was astounding. And it pissed her off at the same time. If Shikamaru sensed any foreboding aura from her, he didn't show it. The lazy guy continued to keep his forehead pressed against the tabletop. A muffled voice came from the spikey-haired man across the table.

"Well, you could look at the bright side- at least you're not in danger. And just think, we were all scared shitless of him before. Just further enforces you can't judge a book by its cover."

"You can't judge a book by its cover? Shikamaru, no one judged the damn book! It was written in invisible ink, so how could we judge it? How were we supposed to know what he was like, when he stayed quiet every time we saw him?" she growled out.

The dampened voice came out again, "I dunno, Sakura. Just sayin'… Man, you don't have to start screaming. Calm down, will you?"

Reigning her anger back, Sakura closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He was right. It was just a stupid saying. She didn't need to take out all her frustration out on poor Shikamaru…

"You're right. I'm sorry for yelling. Anyway, I guess we're done here. I don't want to take over your entire evening. Thanks for talking with me; I needed it." Sakura replied, standing up, and placing coins gently on the table.

"Mhmm. Good night, Sakura. And don't worry. Stuff works out, somehow. You know where to find me." The shadow user lifted his head and nodded at her.

Smiling at the man, the pinkette left the table and began her way home.

* * *

Sakura kicked at the rocks on the street. Sure, she had controlled her anger at the restaurant, but it still pissed her off that Shikamaru could figure stuff out so easily. Where did he get it from? And his father was just like him! But _smarter_! And he was just as lazy. It just wasn't fair. Either way, she decided to take out some frustration on the small rocks lining the streets. She just had to be careful and not put too much force into the kicking. The last thing she wanted was a broken window that she had to pay to replace.

So the Prick was after Sasuke, now? What a weird world this was… Sakura would tell Tsunade in the morning about this idea… it was late, and she'd probably be drunk and wouldn't listen, fully. It was better to talk in the morning, when her sobriety was at its peak.

Turning the corner into her apartment complex, Sakura stopped shoving the rocks with her foot. She wouldn't be able to kick it up the stairs, but she would certainly stomp up every damn step.

And stomp she did… but not enough to break the poor steps. Reaching the top, Sakura pulled out her keys and walked to the front door of her apartment. She put the key in the lock and turned it, shoving the door open.

Out of sheer habit, Sakura walked in the door, immediately turned around and shut the door behind her. Reaching out for the familiar switch, she turned the lights on. Her kitchen greeted her, as did her living area.

And in her living area, was a couch.

And on that couch, was Uchiha Itachi.

Sakura stopped what she was doing. She stared blankly at his form, cloak unfastened, and laying against her couch. He was looking at her. Without a word, she turned around and opened the front door. Sakura walked out of her apartment, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

He watched her enter the apartment, completely unaware of his presence. In fact, she didn't notice he was even here until she turned the lights on, and looked at the couch. He found it amusing. It seemed she figured out he would visit her apartment, but him showing up randomly… she just couldn't handle.

Itachi put a small smile on his face. This would surely be another fun night.

He wanted to see her again, he really did. It seemed she had sparked his fascination, and it was rapidly becoming something else. Her fiery spirit and oxymoronic stature captivated his attention. He enjoyed their chats and found himself drawn to her more and more…

Something deeply repressed inside of him knew where this was going… A feeling he had forbidden himself ever since that night. But it seemed fate had really shuffled the deck and the cards he was once dealt, were gone. A new hand had been presented to him and he was just figuring out how to use it.

Putting that beside the point, he was almost... excited… to see her again? Was that the word he was looking for? Perhaps… Sakura certainly never failed to entertain him.

He watched her enter the apartment, see him, and leave again, without a word. It would be no matter- she would be back.

* * *

Sakura forced the front door to shut behind her. She stood on the threshold, and ground her teeth. He. Was. Here. And on her _couch_! Just sitting there, like it was no big deal! None at all! Sakura leaned back against the door, and let out a muffled yell of frustration. Would today's continual shit-storm over her life ever end? Damn it all!

First, Naruto didn't believe her. Then Naruto yelled at her. After that, he said she was in a relationship with Itachi. Then the stupid blonde screamed she was sleeping with him. Now her best friend was mad at her. She almost had to eat dinner by herself… and when she did find someone, it was Shikamaru… who made her feel like a dumbass.

Now after having an awful day, she came home, and found an Uchiha sprawled on her living room furniture.

_Well, what could go wrong now? Surely we've struck rock bottom at this point_. Her Inner self just gave Sakura last words. She now felt after tonight, she would be a puddle of pink goo, steaming on the floor of her apartment in agitation.

Sakura took a deep breath. This was bound to happen. Just… sooner than expected!

Sakura began to smirk darkly. If the Uchiha wanted to play games... then she would dish it right back. And Sakura was more than willing to compete. She could feel the sarcasm and her blood beginning to boil…

With new confidence, Sakura leaned off the door, and turned around. She grabbed the door knob and yanked the door open. Striding inside, she blatantly ignored the pair of onyx eyes on her. She merely walked right to the kitchen and went straight for the fridge.

Opening the door, she hid her face behind it. She smirked as she looked through the contents… Who cares if she just ate something? She actually found herself more thirsty than hungry. Reaching for the milk, the medic stood up and put the jug on the counter. Sakura nonchalantly walked over to a cabinet and grasped a glass. She shut the cabinet door and brought her glass to the milk jug. She poured the milk into the glass and replaced the milk jug back in the fridge.

Itachi watched her the whole time. Oh, he knew what she was doing. She was ignoring him; it was one of her little games. Did she really think this tactic was going to work against him? Too bad for her, he could do better.

Uchiha Itachi stood up from the couch and walked across the living room. He saw her slightly flinch as he came closer, but then he turned to his left and walked down the hallway. He found the bathroom and started to walk inside the room when he heard her yell.

"What are you doing? Stop that, don't go in there!" He turned to look down the hallway and saw the kunoichi walking quickly toward him, with a glare. He didn't bother to hide his smirk.

"Get back on the couch, and _stay there_." She growled out. And as if he didn't understand her words, she held out her arm and pointed to the living room.

"You lose, Sakura." He said simply, as he passed her. He heard her growl again and could feel her footsteps as the floorboards rattled.

"Listen. This is my apartment, Prick. You will follow _my_ rules. You will not touch _anything_. You will not _do_ anything without my permission. Just sit on that couch and _don't move_."

The Uchiha sat down on said couch, and watched her finish her glass of milk. As she turned to place the glass in the sink, he stood up once again, and walked toward the kitchen.

Sakura didn't need to turn around from the sink; she knew he deliberately stood up. Now would be a fantastic time for liquor, but that would have to wait... She placed her hands on the sink edges and curled her hands into fists. With barely restrained anger, she ground out a few more words for him.

"Dear Prick. Would you goddamned listen to what I have to say? You can't just do what you want because you enjoy pissing me off. Sit back on the fucking couch like I asked. Sincerely, the Kunoichi who's going to castrate you with a dull kunai if you don't heed my words." Sakura closed her eyes and grimaced.

A voice came from the kitchen table area, "Sakura, as much as I hold your medical abilities in the highest esteem, you know you would never do such a thing."

_He's baiting you… don't take it…_ Sakura scowled at the faucet on her sink. She would ring his neck by the time it was midnight, at this rate.

"I'll have you know, that I've had an awful day, which is completely centered around your stupid ass. The last thing I need right now is for you to show up in person." Sakura looked down into the sink. There was a sponge on the bottom. She willed herself to stay focused on it.

"My… ass, Sakura?" He replied with a smirk.

"Watch it, Uchiha, I know when you're smirking. Don't make me try to break your foot again."

"Because the last attempt was so successful…"

"Alcohol is not involved this time." She stated calmly. "Besides, why the hell are you here, anyway?" Sakura was on the verge of reaching down and ripping the dumb sponge in half.

"Oh? I just came to say 'hello.'" Itachi relayed.

Sakura turned around from the sink and stared at him, blankly. After a few moments, she bit out a "You are such an arrogant bastard" and turned back to the sink. Suddenly, the sponge became very interesting again.

"It is no surprise to you," was his reply.

"Not at all. Now go away."

"Sakura, Sakura. That's impolite."

Sakura cut him off. "No, you're wrong. You broke into my apartment. _That's_ impolite, dipshit."

"Yet I'm still here. Come, let's talk for a while." At this, Sakura sighed. He obviously wasn't going to leave until she conversed with him. There was no point in delaying it; might as well get it over with. When she pivoted around, she saw him, looking at her. His hair still sat in a low-riding ponytail. The cloak was unfastened again, to reveal the tight black shirt underneath. He was casually sitting in one of her kitchen table chairs.

This would be a long night. She cursed his fine physique, which was easily displayed under the black shirt. The medic willed herself to ignore it. She had seen plenty of shirt-less men before! And hell, he hadn't even taken his off yet? Why was she so uncomfortable by it? She needed to focus on something else, besides his torso.

Sakura walked over to her table, threw a chair out from under it, and planted herself in it. She harshly shoved herself over to the table.

"Fine, let's talk. You start." She glared at him and crossed her arms across her chest.

"You do realize, I'm going to say, 'ladie's first,' correct?" he said smoothly.

"You're the one with the ponytail and necklace on. Fire away, princess." Sakura wondered how brave she could possibly be, tonight. But this was _her_ home and he _knew_ what she would respond like. It was his own fault, really. And he _had_ it coming to him.

Instead, he only blinked, as if her words didn't affect him. But Sakura saw his eyes change. They lit up, in what she saw as… anticipation? Well, this was just fantastic. He was probably going to enjoy every moment of her little retorts, while she only got more pissed and pissed. And Sakura never won against holding back her temper…

"You amuse me. Did you know that?" his voice drifted over to her.

"I _amuse_ you? What the hell does that mean? Oh, don't get me wrong. I've realized you have some little interest in me. But I can't figure out why. Or maybe I'm just imagining it. Either way, you're up to something, which concerns me. And it has nothing to do with your other little plans." The medic exclaimed.

"You are correct."

Sakura quickly grabbed onto the edge of the table in front of her. "Careful, there. Don't make me invert the table into your face."

Itachi looked at the kunoichi in front of him… fully prepared to throw the table up vertically into his person. She never ceased to surprise him… "I will explain it later this evening."

"Fine. But I know your other little plan. You're going to go after Orochimaru, who is in Sasuke's body. Ironic."

"Yes, it is, but I have come to terms with it. I must do what is needed. Orochimaru with the Sharingan under his possession will certainly cause harm. I say, how did you figure this out?" he questioned.

Sakura debated about telling him that she only found out an hour or so ago… and that someone else told her. Whatever. There weren't any rules to this game of him.

"I figured out Orochimaru's takeover. Shikamaru believed you would go after Sasuke." She said hesitantly.

"Ah, I figured you would ask the Nara."

Sakura was barely holding back from shoving the table into his face. He assumed she would ask for help? It was all in his plan? He knew she wouldn't be able to do this all by herself? This was infuriating!

"I'm not stupid!" she forced out, while her face contorted.

"I know that, Sakura. You have done very well, up to this point. You are incredibly brilliant."

"As much as I'm flattered, you have put me through hell and back. I didn't ask for all this crap." She sneered out.

"Oh, I'm quite aware I have put you through some torment. Perhaps you could enlighten me?"

"You've just turned my entire world upside-down. I hope you know that."

"In what way, Sakura?" For some reason, the way he said those words stirred something inside her. Ignoring them, she answered him.

"You realize this is harassment? Well, maybe not exactly… But it might as well be! Thanks to you, I'm now the brunt of jokes or hated." Sakura bit out.

"Perhaps you could explain yourself."

"No. You've heard enough." She said plainly.

"Clearly, you are not in the mood for talking." It took all the restraint within her for Sakura not to scream out, 'you think?' But no. He clearly wanted to get her in the talking mood and she would not play that way.

Itachi sensed that she felt the conversation was basically over. While it had been amusing, he had one last thing to do. He stood up from the chair and walked over to her. As he did before, he held out his hand for her to take.

Sakura ignored it and got up on her own. "There's no one to impress here, Uchiha."

The two of them now stood next to each other. It was now, that Sakura realized how much taller he was than her. Granted, she was short to begin with, and he wasn't exactly towering… but he was a good few inches taller. In fact, only a slight decline of her head would aim her eyes at his fantastically shaped torso… _Yes, Yes! Look down there!_

Sakura bit her tongue to shut her other self up. She disobeyed Inner Sakura and looked up at his face.

Big mistake.

His eyes were truly as dark as gray could get while not being black. They stared down at her emerald ones and Sakura felt like she was under a microscope. Everything she did at this moment, he would know. It was almost unsettling.

But some part of her deep down realized how much of a thrill it was to be next to him. How many people were able to stand this close to a missing-nin, and one involved with Akatsuki, yet not be harmed? In fact, it looked like the opposite would happen. He continued to look at her, as if searching for something. Sakura stopped looking at his eyes and was working her way down to the deep lines encrusted on his face, to the sharp nose. His mouth was slightly upturned in a smirk. Next to his neck, lay his dark hair, fastened in the trade mark pony tail. She could see the red tie holding the hair-

She felt something. On her.

Realization hit hard. He had put his hand in her hair. She glanced her eyes to her left. His right arm was raised and in between his thumb and index finger was a lock of her pink hair. She noticed how close his face become- it was several inches closer to his hand which was holding her hair.

"Your hair… is a beautiful rose color." He said lightly. It was then, that Sakura remembered he was going blind… that was why he was so close. But surely, not so blind that he didn't notice what color her hair was from all the other encounters…?

No… he was doing this to rile her up. She knew he knew her hair was pink. He probably just wanted a closer look.

Following that, she heard him take a deep breath. Did he…? Sakura almost died. Did Uchiha Itachi smell her hair? Why did he do that? Surely his sense of smell wasn't affected by his Sharingan…

Before Sakura could do or say anything, Uchiha Itachi let go of her hair, and took a step back. He gave her one of those knowing smiles, and began to fasten his cloak.

Inner Sakura started pouting at the loss of muscled abdomen.

"Sakura, I thank you for the wonderful evening. I should hope you enjoy the rest of your night. I shall see you soon." And with that, Uchiha Itachi formed several hand seals and disappeared before she could make out what just happened.

Sakura stood in her kitchen for several moments. She didn't move. She hardly breathed. She didn't know what to _think_. What the hell had just happened?

Blinking herself back to reality, she figured out what she needed. Bed. Now.

She had showered earlier- there was no reason to run up her water bill.

The medic padded over to her bathroom first, where she brushed her teeth. In a daze, she walked into her bedroom, where she put on her nightclothes and flopped onto her bed.

What. The. Hell?

It seemed like every time his stupid face showed up, she was left more dumbfounded than before. He really loved to torment her, apparently. Except this time, it wasn't like before. The other times, she was confused, but because of the information he told her. Of course, tonight gave some information as well. He enforced that he was going to kill Sasuke because Orochimaru had taken over his body… but that wasn't what was confusing her…

He had gotten extremely close. Like, in her _personal space_ close.

For some reason, Sakura felt like she lost control over something tonight. Like she walked into a trap without knowing. Oh, damn. The prey was certainly in the clutches of the predator now… The only problem was, she didn't know what trap was set up.

And what had he done exactly? He touched her hair! He _smelled_ it! It didn't make sense. He couldn't be that blind. His vision was probably just very fuzzy. He could see things, but they'd be blurry. Of course, leaning in closer would certainly help. But why would he do that? He knew her hair was pink! What benefit would he gain from looking closer? There really wasn't anything to see.

_So he could smell it, duh_. Oh right. Well, what was up with that, too?

Sakura felt waves of restlessness overcome her again… Another great start to getting a good night's sleep. Just wonderful.

He smelled her hair. That… was intimate. Sakura's eyes widened. _"You amuse me. Do you know that?"_

That was what he had said… and he claimed that amusement had nothing to do with his other plans. Sakura suddenly became wide awake. Did that mean…?

Oh no.

This wasn't good. Uchiha Itachi… was _interested_ in her? Not like an interest or like a hobby...

No. An interest… like… attraction?

Sakura shook her head and turned to her side. This couldn't be good.

It seemed like Tsunade and Kakashi's playful banter had some ground to it. That was somewhat horrifying. How could they possibly know that Uchiha Itachi was going to develop some… attraction to her? She had only assumed they were joking… just to fuel her anger. Sakura knew Kakashi loved to rile her up every so often…

Sakura also knew she would have to go to see Tsunade tomorrow. She would tell her of the Uchiha's plan to kill Orochimaru, who had taken over Sasuke. What she didn't want to tell, was that said Uchiha had told her something else.

Well, he didn't _tell_ her, per se… but his actions clearly spoke for him. No one would ever believe that the infamous Uchiha Itachi breathed in her hair. A frown started working its way onto her face.

This afternoon, when Naruto had asked, "what exactly is going on between you guys," she thought she had an answer. Now, she wasn't quite so sure…

If Naruto found out about this, he would certainly never forgive her. Even Shikamaru would agree with that. This was such a big mess; she was stuck in a giant vortex of trouble and crap flying everywhere.

Inner Sakura's words from before ran through her head, "Surely, we've struck rock bottom at this point." There really was no such thing as rock bottom for her now… Sakura _thought_ she hit rock bottom, but now, a whole new layer of onyx emotions, mixed in with betrayal and hurt from a whiskered blonde had weaved its way into the picture.

Sakura turned herself onto her stomach. Apparently, Uchiha Itachi did not have an Impenetrable Wall of Emotions. He certainly had them… they were just extremely well hidden for the better part of his life. Sakura cursed the fact that she was the one to bring them to the surface.

And Itachi didn't seem to be one of those people who fancied short-term goals. Hell, he had waited for Sasuke to get stronger for _years_… He kept up the criminal façade for just as long and played double agent for … well… she supposed he still was.

Sakura groaned into her pillow. It seemed now that she was the star of Uchiha Itachi's attention, there was no way she was getting out.

But she couldn't seem to get over the fact that… he was attracted to her? That just seemed so odd.

Then Sakura remembered the way something stirred inside her, when he asked her a particular question. Then, she recalled how distracting his shirt was, which displayed his torso. How his eyes seem to read everything she did. She recounted the thrill she had felt when he stood so close to her.

It was then Sakura realized what trap she had walked into.

* * *

Wow, what a wild ride that was?

Just to clear up something, people have asked what the significance of the chapter titles were... This story originally was a one-shot. The title was based off of the stacking of the cups Sakura created into a pyramid, and I figured the symbolism in that chapter contributed to make a good title. Then, this became a full-out story... and I really liked my title... So throughout the first few chapters, you have references to the cup stacking (and therefore Pyramid sites in the titles). Lately, there weren't any references... so I put in some Egyptian symbolism.

I feel clever.

But I feel stupid... I have a music lesson tomorrow... and I should really hop on the practicing train.

Anyway, let me know what you guys think,  
Kiwi


	9. Scarab

Thanks again to every who reviewed and read! Alright, guys. Let's dance.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor any characters in Naruto. Naruto and said characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

A pink mess marched through the streets of Konoha. She was pissed, she was scared, she was confused, and there was going to be _hell_ to pay. Last night's revelation certainly caught her off guard and threw her into a whirlpool of cataclysmic proportions.

Just what the hell was she supposed to do? Sure the Uchiha had talked to her- that was fine. And it was perfectly ok that he allowed her to figure out the truth of the Uchiha Massacre. She had accepted that.

But when Uchiha Itachi had smelled her hair… Sakura was at a loss.

Sakura hated not knowing things. She despised working half-assed. She liked categories. She liked diagrams. But then some dark-haired guy showed up out of the blue and promptly turned her world upside down. Then he had to go and do what he did last night and it seemed like her world would never be put back together.

Goddamned Uchiha.

There was no doubt that within the next day or so, he'd be back. Sakura ground her teeth as she made her way to the Hokage tower. It was in sight now and this would be one hell of a meeting. Just wonderful. What better way to start the day than with the phrase, "So Uchiha Itachi broke into my apartment last night. And then he smelled my hair." Sakura could picture her Shishou spitting the sake from her mouth.

Reaching the tower, one of the chunnin on guard tried to wave to her. He had begun to raise his hand and offer a friendly smile, until he saw Sakura's glare of agitation thrown at him. The chunnin quickly put his hand down and went back to facing the streets. He could tell that this would be a bad day… When Sakura was upset, _no one_ was safe. Then Tsunade would find out and get pissed, as well. Back up reinforcements may be required at some point today…

Sakura strode past the chunnin and entered the tower. Stomping up the steps to the third floor, she made the stairs rattle and shake. The medic didn't care; there was no way to win over her temper. And the fact that she had stayed up wide awake the night before, didn't help. Images of charcoal hair and onyx eyes flashed before her eyes under the dawning hours. Sakura was grumpy, moody, and not even trying to hide it.

Reaching the Hokage's door, Sakura slammed her fist in to the wood, causing it to shake on its hinges. She heard a voice inside exclaim, "Damn it, Sakura, if you break that damn door, you're going to pay for it!" Without a second thought, the pinkette pushed the door open and strode inside.

Tsunade was sitting at her desk, piles of paper to either side of her. A faint scent of sake was in the air, but the loud bang on the door forced soberness on her. Only one person would let out frustration on the door, so undeserved. And sure enough, her pupil stomped her way into her office. A mixture of emotions was displayed on Sakura's face; tiredness, anger, and confusion.

Well, only one thing could lead to _that_ combination.

"What did he do now?" The blonde asked. She wasn't expecting the tirade that would follow that question.

"What did he do? _What did he do?_ Shishou, I'm about to punch his face inside-out. He invaded my _apartment_ last night! My apartment!" Sakura yelled out, waving her arms over her head.

Tsunade blinked. "He came to your… apartment?" She had to inwardly show her amusement. If she started joking now, Sakura would surely unleash devastation upon the office.

"Yeah. He did," the pinkette said shortly.

The blonde stared at her student. It was quite obvious she was livid. Her guess was the Uchiha had done something to piss her off, but that was beside the point. He had to have given her more information when he visited and she needed to know it all.

"So what did you find out?" It was best for a distraction, Tsunade guessed. Avoid conversation directly about the Uchiha's actions and focus more on what he said.

Sakura stalled in her frustration, in order to recount the yesterday's happenings. She bitterly acknowledged how well her Shishou understood her temperament… changing subjects to avoid total destruction of the room.

"Sasuke was taken over by Orochimaru. Uchiha Itachi is going to kill him." She said blandly.

Her mentor sat in silence for a few moments, digesting the information. Tsunade wondered- did she hear Sakura correctly? Orochimaru had successfully taken over the younger Uchiha? And now Uchiha Itachi wanted to go after his brother? This was just… _sick_.

She finally spoke, "Sakura, do you think the Uchiha will visit you again?"

Sakura eyebrow rose up. "I'm pretty sure he would jump at the chance." Despite the questioning look on Sakura's face, the sarcasm was noted by the blonde.

Disregarding Sakura's tone, Tsunade answered. "Tell his ass to come find me. I want to speak to him. As much as I hate it that he came into Konoha without anyone detecting, he shouldn't find it too difficult to sneak into the Hokage tower, unknown. Bastard."

The pinkette nodded at her mentor's request. It was surprising, yet not, at the same time. She supposed if Itachi wanted to uproot history in Konoha, then he would, in fact, need the Hokage's permission. Inwardly, Sakura cackled. She only wished she could watch Tsunade and Itachi go at it. Said blonde broke Sakura out of her reverie.

"How many people know of your situation?" she asked.

"You, Kakashi, Naruto, and Shikamaru. That's it." Sakura answered truthfully.

"Good. Keep it that way." Tsunade breathed out. "Now, onto other matters." Then the blonde's mouth upturned into a smirk. Sakura felt the urge to cringe and back into a corner. That look never meant anything good.

"Finally met your match, did you not, Sakura?" Tsunade drawled out. Sakura wanted to scream and yell out denials all the way to Suna, but kept her mouth shut. She tried the same tactic Tsunade used on her earlier.

"You know, Shishou. I'm wondering why you and Kakashi are so interested in this weird little situation. He's a missing-nin. I don't think you'd want your student damaging her reputation," was her calm reply.

Tsunade put her elbows on her desktop. She put her hands together, lacing her fingers, and then placed her chin on top. She closed her eyes for a moment, wondering how to word her next few statements, without causing the remodeling the central district of Konoha. Finally opening her eyes, she gave her answer.

"Sakura, you've been alone for years. You haven't had anybody to care about."

"That's not true! I have you, Kakashi, Naruto, and Ino-"

"Not like _that_. Not _that_ kind of 'care about.'" Tsunade had cut her off. "I mean, after the younger Uchiha brat left, you been in this cycle of training, and putting up more walls. You can't stay like that."

"But Kakashi doesn't have anybody. He's doing just fine." Sakura mumbled.

"Well, Kakashi's got… issues. And he's…Kakashi. But he knows about it, also. He just… lost the chance before he could act upon it." The blonde ended sadly. "Now would you let me finish?"

Sakura took a deep breath. "Sure. Go ahead." Tsunade nodded at this.

"Sakura, I know you're a complicated girl. You're driven, ambitious, strong, talented, and hell, cranky. But you get that last one from me, so I don't really care about it. My point is, that you're so caught up in getting stronger, you forgot how to enjoy yourself. You're twenty; the prime of your youth, yet you shut yourself up in the hospital or the training grounds. Haven't you wondered what it's like to care about someone deeply? My guess is that you've made up excuses as to why you aren't letting anyone get too close. Knowing you, he's probably got to be attractive, intelligent, and powerful, and that combination sure as shit isn't abundant in this village."

Sakura looked down at her feet and dug her heels into the floorboards. Was she really that easy to read? Apparently so… Or maybe it was just because the woman in front of her knew her for long and after acting maternally to her. Tsunade occasionally took on the mother role to Sakura.

"Yes, Uchiha Itachi is a missing-nin, but he certainly fit those qualities you so steadfastly cling to. Believe me, if he hadn't started acting like a repenting soul, I never would have considered this. But now things have come into the light, and everything has turned around. If we hadn't discovered the truth about the massacre, I probably would have teased you for a week, and gave up. But then, he started showing up more often, and hell, I'd find it hard to believe he isn't developing some sort of interest in you."

Sakura stilled. Tsunade saw it, but continued her lecture.

"My point is, I want to see you happy. Yes, he's still a rogue, and part of a dangerous organization. Therefore, I advise you to be _careful_. However, maybe once this is all said and done, there may be a ray of light. His poor soul has been through so much, and I can't imagine how he's still sane. In the mean time, just…be wary. I know you're taking a huge risk. But this is an assigned mission, given by me. Just don't get yourself into a hole you can't get out of."

The pinkette eyed her mentor. "Shishou, I don't understand what you're trying to say. You're contradicting yourself all over the place."

"Damn it, Sakura! You two are a good match, just you may not want to acknowledge it, but it seems like the man is interested in you, and you can't escape. I'm trying to tell you, that he's still not in the books as loyal to Konoha, so you can't go off and have an affair with him. But once all this bullshit is over, maybe you two can work things out." Tsunade shouted. "And don't tell me you don't believe a word I'm saying. I have a good feeling and I always trust my gut. And no, I'm not betting on you." With that Tsunade slammed her fists down on the desk, causing it to shake papers off the top and onto the floor.

"You're… approving of the jerk's advances?" she forced out.

"Well, not right now. Just keep them in mind for later. Why, what has he done recently? Do tell." Sakura hated how Tsunade acted like a gossip mill sometimes. And by 'sometimes,' she meant whenever something had to do with Sakura.

The student shifted on her feet, diverting her eyes to the floor. "Uh, not much. Just his usual crap."

Tsunade didn't buy it. The blonde growled and picked up a paper weight. She threw it inches away from the pinkette's head, causing it to fly past her, and embed in the wall. "Sakura. Tell me."

Sakura knew that no matter how strong she got, Tsunade would always scared the living shit out of her. It was better to accept her fate.

"He smelled my hair." She mumbled out. Tsunade's eyes widened for several moments and stared blankly at her student.

"Are you serious?" A nod from her student answered the question. Tsunade started laughing. "Oh dear, this is too funny! He really did that? Who would have thought the great Uchiha Itachi would do such a thing? Here we thought he had as much emotion as that paperweight in the wall!"

Sakura's anger started heating up again. "Don't laugh at me. It's not funny. It's just not a situation I've encountered before."

"Oh, Sakura, I know it's not. That's just why it's so funny. Either way, is there anything else you want to tell me?" Sakura shook her head, violently. "Ok, well, just make sure when you see the man next, tell him to find me here, for a little chitchat. In the meantime, take care of yourself, and be careful. He doesn't seem like the type to let go so easily."

The pinkette nodded. Oh, she knew he wouldn't let go. This was going to be one hell life experience, she could feel it. With that, Sakura gave her goodbyes and left the Hokage tower. Tsunade watched her leave and leaned back into her chair. Yes, as strange as it seemed, Tsunade felt a genuine good feeling.

Her face darkened. What was she going to do with the Elders and Danzo? Tsunade closed her eyes. When the Uchiha came to visit, she would have answers.

* * *

Sakura figured she owed Shikamaru a favor. Cloud watching certainly could be relaxing…

After barnstorming in and out of Tsunade's office, she got an overwhelming urge to go and do nothing. She walked to a desolate training ground and plopped down on the ground. The grass felt welcome against her skin, as she lay looking up into the sky. Placing her hand behind her head, Sakura stared toward the heavens.

Clouds slowly waltzed across the sky, the fluffy white sticking out against the clear blue. Sakura found herself entranced. The clouds were so simple, just white cotton floating around the sky. Life for them never got too complicated… Shikamaru was right. Being a cloud would probably be amazing.

They just wandered around the sky, changing form, and rolling over each other. That was all they did! There wasn't any drama when you were a fluffy mass. But life couldn't be that good. Sakura's life was anything but whimsical and cheery. It was full of anger, frustration, and destruction.

A thundercloud certainly fit her personality better than the clouds above her right now. It caused so much destruction and was just as powerful. Who would have thought that the fluffy mass could do so much damage? _Yup, just like you; compact and deceiving deadly_. Just the image she wanted to portray: "stay away."

Sakura knew that there were a lot of men in Konoha who respected, yet feared her. They always seemed to stay just on the other side of the line of getting too close. She supposed that's where she developed the qualities in her ideal partner. He needed to be strong, because she could handle herself and dish it right back tenfold.

Tsunade was right. Ino was right. And as awkward as it was, Kakashi was right. Uchiha Itachi was up to par with her. He was more than enough and willing to attempt to tame the fire in her personality. Some part of her was enthralled yet scared. Just how the hell had she gained the attention of one of the most anti-social murderers?

Well, he wasn't really anti-social, just acting like it. In reality, he was a pompous jerk. But she still respected him…on some level. She hadn't forgotten that he could easily over power her in a moment.

The pinkette mused that Itachi was a thundercloud, too. But he was much more deadly. Hail storms and torrential rain struck down upon the earth when he unleashed his power. Sakura just had raw, unbridled power. The normal lightening. Of course, lightening sure did a lot of damage, but that was really all she had; brute force. Itachi had finesse, deadly grace. Eyes that were demonic and speed that was incredible. He had everything going for him, which made him so dangerous. It was aggravating to her.

Sakura didn't know how long she laid there, but the sun was now starting to dip down into the horizon, and she needed to get back to her apartment. Standing up, she'd have to thank Shikamaru later, for the relaxing hobby. It was nice to just lay there and not do anything else. To just _think_.

Reaching the steps of her apartment complex, Sakura belatedly noticed cracks in them, from last night's anger-filled extravaganza. Acting like they had always been there, Sakura ascended the flight of steps.

She rounded the corner and reached her door. Taking a deep breath, she bit back a growl. Opening the door, she entered and shut it behind her. Turning on the lights, she cast a glance to her living room.

The bastard was on it again.

She _knew_ it. Her 'smirk radar' had gone off while outside the door. And sure enough, here he was. Sitting on her couch like he was last night.

Obviously ignoring him, Sakura walked right past her living area. She proceeded down the hall to her bedroom where she took off her boots. She knew he was watching her the entire way and it pissed her off.

Walking back barefoot to the living area, she looked at the couch.

"Moving in, are we?" she stated, less than thrilled.

"Perhaps. It is not like I have any place to go."

"Try your old house, dumbass. Granted, your room is dusty, but I think the water still works." She replied.

"Tell me, Sakura. How would anyone explain the sudden water usage in the abandoned Uchiha Manor? And you went in my old room?" His voice smoothly added.

"Ok, fine. You can't stay in your old place. But that doesn't mean you have to keep showing up here. Aren't missing-nin supposed to be able to live anywhere, undetected? Because you sure as hell aren't being subtle with your presence in my living room. Two nights in a row, might I add." She huffed.

"What is the point of continuously running?" He asked.

Sakura realized he had a point. He had been running all his life and it wasn't even completely his fault. Staying in one spot probably was something he couldn't enjoy very often. Of course, if he was able to slip past Konoha's defenses without being caught and take refuge in some place, why wouldn't he go for it? Sakura bitterly realized she was caving in.

"Whatever. I get it. You want some tea? I'm about to make some." Sakura gave in. He wasn't going to leave until he felt like it, so she might as well make the best of it. Besides, it only figured after having a relaxing afternoon, that it be taken away. There was no better way to end the day than getting into a sarcasm-laced conversation with a notorious criminal. _At least he's interesting company. _No, he was obnoxious.

"Yes, please, and you didn't answer my other question, Sakura." Itachi said politely. Sakura was now in her kitchen, putting some boiling water on the stove. She turned around to face the man.

"Yeah, I went in your room. It's pretty dusty… Well, everything is dusty. I mean, the stuff in your drawers, like your old clothes aren't too bad." She saw him start to smirk at her. "Hey, don't get the wrong idea. I was trying to figure some stuff out about you, ok? So I hunted through a few things and realized you wouldn't carelessly leave something in your room. But I'm sure everything is the way you left it."

He nodded at her. Sakura pivoted and took down two cups from the cupboard while the water boiled. Silence ensued for a few moments. Sakura faced away from the cups. She leaned back so her elbows rested on the kitchen counter, closing her eyes. Itachi didn't miss the way her chest became more prominent.

The Uchiha decided to muse about the kunoichi in front of him. He was well aware of his growing fascination of her. In fact, it seemed like an infatuation. He had once forbidden himself from feeling such human emotions, but the recent events had shed new light on old ideals. He _did_ deserve to be happy. Of course, his happiness came at a high price, with no refund. But nevertheless, after leaving her place last night, he had decided that Haruno Sakura had earned his attention.

She was brilliant, strong, and intelligent. Yet she held within her mounds of unbridled fury. She was such a contrast and it was fascinating and he wanted it all to himself. Of course, it's not like he had developed deep and devoted feelings for the woman, but he knew he had created a fixation on her.

But it would do no good to act upon his impulses now. She was a loyal kunoichi. He was not. His own wants and needs did not need to taint the other's reputation. Itachi knew he had caused too much commotion and loss on his account. Giving in to desires was too great a chance and that was a risk he refused to take. It was better to continue the way they were now: acquaintances.

The boiling water on the stove started whistling, breaking him out of his thoughts. He watched as the pinkette leaned off the counter. It seemed she had been deep in thought as well. Without a word, she took the water and began fixing the tea. Itachi moved to the kitchen table.

The Uchiha recalled last night. He had acted on impulse, touching her hair like that. Then he had leaned forward and caught its scent. There was no doubt that he had portrayed his interest in the medic. But at the moment, it seemed like she wasn't even fazed by it. Perhaps she had decided to ignore it. Whatever the case, he noticed the dark circles under her eyes, being telltale signs of sleep deprivation. But something happened earlier today that had calmed her. Sakura had a mood of serenity around her at the moment. Sure, she was slightly furious upon seeing him on the couch a second night in a row, but those were outward emotions. Inside, she was still content.

Sakura had finished preparing the tea and grasped both cups in her hands. She walked over to the kitchen table, where Itachi had seated himself in the same place as the night before. Various tea add-ins were placed on the table soon after. Sakura sat herself down and put two spoonfuls of sugar into her cup, stirring it. Itachi drank his black.

Sakura took a sip of her tea and placed the cup back on the table.

"The Hokage, Tsunade, wants you to visit her. She said she'd be in her office." The medic sighed.

Itachi looked up from his cup and stared at the woman. The Hokage wanted to see him? Perfect.

"In her office? Does she think that is a wise place to meet?" he supplied.

"Oh come on, you insufferable jerk. If you can get into my apartment without anyone knowing, I'm sure as hell that you can get to the third floor of the Hokage tower. So stop acting like you're pathetic. We both know you're arrogant and have good reason to be."

Sakura took another sip of tea. "Shishou's pissed that you're able to come in and out of Konoha as you want, but that's beside the point. Just go see her when you're next in town. Believe me, the last thing you want is an angry blonde coming at you. And I'm not talking about Naruto."

"Naruto is frightful when angered, as well. I have never encountered your Shishou, but I'm sure I would not like to offend her. If you are any reflection upon her personality, then disobeying Tsunade would be a poor choice." With that, Itachi drank more tea.

"Damn right, it would." Sakura bit out. "You know, this is the weirdest tea party in the history of Konoha. Who would have thought that one day, I'd have Uchiha Itachi sitting at my kitchen table drinking tea? And that Naruto was in no danger at all?"

"Surely this 'tea party' is not as bad as you make it?" The dark-haired man asked.

Sakura didn't hesitate. "I find you ridiculously infuriating."

The medic took another sip of tea. "Seriously. You come into my apartment, without a notice. You sit on my couch and wait for me to come back. You piss me off. Holy crap, you're more refined Naruto! Well, in those few senses, but I digress. However, you send off weird signals… Speaking of which, you need to be clear about something."

Itachi knew where this was going. Sakura took his bland stare as a 'go ahead, I'm listening.'

"Last night, you were ultra creepy. You can't just go around sniffing my hair or getting that close. What makes you think you have a right to do that?" Sakura asked, rather frustrated. However, she tried to clam herself down with another sip of tea.

"You are correct, I did not have any right to do so." He complied. "Yet."

Sakura almost spat out the tea she was drinking. Closing her eyes, she figured it was best to ignore what he had just said. _Ah, but he totally confirmed everything_. That wasn't the issue right now. It was better to not think about it. Yes, pretend like it didn't happen. _Oh, but it might_.

Sakura awkwardly started talking again, mumbling about the cups and the flavor of tea. Itachi held back a laugh, but smirked anyway. He had gotten under her skin alright, but what he had said was completely true. There was no denying his interest in her. He would just wait until the time was right.

Sakura suddenly saw his smirk and carefully put her hands on the table. It seemed like she was particularly fond of threatening to put the table into his face. She certainly was comical.

"I shall see your Hokage and I look forward to our meeting. However, I must depart now. Thank you for the tea, Sakura. In the mean time, you should get some rest. It appears you did not sleep well last night." He added with a hint of self-satisfaction. Uchiha Itachi stood up and performed the necessary hand signs to _poof_ into the night.

Sakura was left staring, thoughts running through her head.

Sakura screamed and beat her fists into the table, causing the cups to rattle. "_Fuck_!"

* * *

Itachi sped over the walls of Konoha. The poor chunnin on duty had no clue he was even there. It was somewhat sad, really. The Konoha he wanted to protect, was hardly able to defend itself against strong enemies. Surely, he wasn't the only nin in this world of his caliber. All of Akatsuki could break into this village and Orochimaru had done so years earlier. It was simple for a shinobi of his skill to pass over the walls.

Once outside the village border, Itachi ran through the forest. There was no need to go too far into the woods, as he would be returning again tomorrow evening. Unfortunately, the Hokage would have to pleasure of his attendance, not Sakura.

From what he could tell, Tsunade was everything Sakura was, but much more volatile. He had heard rumors of the Slug Sannin; she was an incredible medic with a ferocious temper. There was no doubt that tomorrow's evening would prove fascinating. To see Sakura's mentor in person, would most likely give some more insight on her.

Insight he couldn't wait to have.

He had accepted his fascination when he claimed he had no right to stand so close and act so personal to her, as he did last night. _Yet_.

Itachi often wondered what his life would be life should there have been no massacre. Of course, dwelling on such things was never positive. "Could've," "Would've," "Should've" situations left a person feeling more regret and sorrow than before. In a few moments, Itachi had decided to_ move forward_.

Yes, his life didn't need to be controlled like it was. Danzo and the Elders stole his family, his happiness, his life, and everything that was important. It was cruel, to force all that onto such a young person. He only wished that no one else should suffer the same fate. On top of that, he was practically forced to join Akatsuki, a criminal organization hunting the tailed-beasts. The poor individuals that happened to harbor the bijuu were left to die. It was such a sad fate.

But he had found a loophole and stalled against collecting the kyuubi for as long as possible. Of course, Pein was livid. Not to mention, Tobi was, as well. Uchiha Itachi wasn't stupid. He knew that Tobi was Uchiha Madara, but the mask-wearing fiend didn't need to know that. It was best to remain low on the radar.

Besides, if everything went according to plan, he wouldn't have to worry about Akatsuki anymore. But those were details he would have to work out before tomorrow's meeting. Tsunade would most assuredly want to know his every plan.

His world had been so dark since that night so many years ago. Of course, some of it was contributed by using the Sharingan every day, but he had wised up recently and stopped such trivial matters.

Though recently, a sliver of light had rained down into his life. That night, what was it, a week ago? It had put everything into perspective. At first, she was just a person to which he would use in his plans. But then, he actually saw her. Not just from a file…but in person.

He was captivated. But only for a moment- there was business to attend to.

Then at the second bar, when she had run up to him pretending like he was her friend, it was most welcome. When was the last time that someone was excited to see him? It sure had been a long time…

And then, last night, he was at her apartment. Oh, she was _furious_. He could feel it when she was on the other side of the door, practically steaming… She had insulted him, laced every comment with sarcasm, and expletives littered almost every sentence she said. Of course, the fact that she had the nerve to throw a table into his face amused him to no end.

Finally, was tonight. She wasn't drunk. She wasn't completely livid. In fact, she was most pleasant, with exception of a few comments. It was… nostalgic. To sit at a table with someone, while drinking tea in a non-threatening manner.

Sakura was incredible. And last night was evidence of his interest in her. She knew it. The medic was beautiful, from what he could tell. Strong, and loyal. The more he thought about her, the more appealing she was.

But he could control himself. Now was not the time. But once it was all over and if there was a chance, would he pursue the rosette medic?

Uchiha Itachi jumped onto another branch. There was no question.

It was confirmed.

* * *

Woo. It's about to hit the fan, you know?

Just as a head's up, next week is Spring break, and I'm going to Disney World! So, there won't be an update next week. I apologize, I do...

But let me know what you think, ok?  
-Kiwi


	10. Ankh

Huzzah! Progress!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters in Naruto. Said characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Kakashi felt that he was getting old far too fast than to his liking. _In fact_, he mused, _Life has the potential to get much shorter if I don't pay attention right now_. He quickly ducked, avoiding a punch to the head, which caused an explosion of tree bark and fragments to rain down through the wooded area. A pink-haired student glared at him through the wood flying about the air.

"You're distracted, Kakashi." She stated. "And you don't even have your book out."

The grey-haired man slouched down, sighing. "Eh, you're right; I am a little bit sidetracked… But that's hardly the point. How are you so focused when you've got your hands full with other problems?"

Sakura ground her teeth and yelled. Sparring was supposed to be a time to forget about life for a moment! Not bring up all the issues she was currently engulfed in. Screaming, "Don't bring that shit up!," Sakura threw another punch towards her old sensei. With a shrug, he crinkled his eye and disappeared from her view.

Great. Now he actually felt like trying. Sakura grunted and scowled down at the ground to think for a moment.

The two of them had been going at it for quite some time… Dusk was starting to settle in. It had been early afternoon when Kakashi had seen Sakura wandering around the village streets and asked her for some good old-fashioned combat between friends. It seemed Gai was out of town- much to Kakashi's glee, and Genma had guard duty for the day. Of course, Naruto would have been the next best choice, but it appeared Gaara had requested to meet with him. He would be gone for a while…

Not that Sakura cared. They still weren't talking… but she'd be the one to play the "I told you so game," when the time came. When Naruto finally realized that what was happening _was_, in fact, happening… he'd come groveling back and ask for forgiveness. She knew she was right. And she wouldn't make the first move to go to him. No. He had to come to _her_ and try to seek pardon.

Naruto refused to listen when he had his mind made up. If he wanted to become Hokage, as he continually kept at the top of his 'to do' list, then he would have to learn the ability to sit still and listen to others. He would get himself nowhere if he kept up his infuriating attitude of 'what happened in the past is over.'

The blonde really needed to figure out that the past always comes back to bite you in the ass. In fact, his words weren't always applicable despite if he truly believed in second chances for everyone. But no. Killing your entire clan on orders for the most dastardly old geezers in the village (who Naruto was opposed of, as well) was a life non-recoupable. However, the brother of said killer can go off and join forces with a rebel ninja doing unspeakably creepy things, hurt Konoha ninja, _and_ other shinobi from other nations? And try to kill Naruto himself while leaving his other teammate on a fucking park bench in the middle of the night?

But of course! Apology accepted, courtesy of Uzumaki Naruto's Special Friends with Special Privileges Services.

Sakura had once heard that the Nine-Tailed fox was clever. Apparently, his intellectual talents were not spared to his blonde, air-headed host.

But because said dumbass blonde was unavailable, Sakura found herself fourth on the list of possible sparring partners for her former sensei. She didn't mind that she wasn't in the top three… after all, she knew Kakashi felt a little uncomfortable fighting females. It was foreign territory for him, but being his student for many years had put her as one of his most loyal partners and they truly trusted each other.

That didn't mean she went easy on him.

Sakura charged chakra to her feet. Kakashi was 40 meters at 5 o'clock. She needed to take out some anger and when Kakashi offered a little sparring, he had no idea what he was getting himself into.

* * *

Kakashi belatedly realized Sakura was pissed. Honestly, it didn't take much of a detective to realize that; the anger radiating off of her, along with the screaming, yelling, and her eyes had darkened to a deep emerald color. She was ready to _kill_ something.

He was currently several tens of meters away from her, leaning up against a tree. The grey-haired man was somewhat enjoying himself, he supposed. Sakura was always entertaining to fight with. Her dangerous hand-to-hand combat was an area he was rusty at… Kakashi's ninjutsu was a library filled with all sorts of goodies, acquired over the years, courtesy of the Sharingan. Said special eye also gave him advantages in the genjutsu realm… but his taijutsu always could use some work.

Naturally, Gai would be his first option… but thankfully, the spandex-adorning, bowl-cut sporting, flashy man of Konoha was out of town. Who else to go to, but his little female student?

Oh, she was little, but damn, she could do more damage than most of the men in this village in a single hit. Training with her was considerably advantageous; she was perfect for playing the roles of enemies who you had to avoid when even a single touch could cost you your life.

Kakashi sighed. Training Ground 4 was destroyed; leaving only the forest area next to it was still intact. Kakashi wondered if bringing the fight into the wooded areas would be a good idea… On second thought, Tsunade would kill him.

Well, in that case, onto plan B.

The one-eyed man ran out from behind the tree and toward his student. It was true, he didn't like to partake in combat with females… it made him somewhat uneasy… but he would do it if he had to. He knew Sakura knew that fact… but she didn't know what he had up his sleeve. One of the benefits of working with Sakura for so long was that he knew her well enough to know exactly what to do… and the precise actions to take to cause her to miscalculate.

Said female was currently watching him, as she had turned around to face him. Sakura blinked. He was headed right for her… did he think straight on attacks would work against her? _Come on, Kakashi, you know better than that_, she thought… Using her now charged feet, Sakura sprinted towards her mentor, intent on meeting him halfway. Pulling back a fist full of chakra, Sakura was just about close enough to hit him. She was running, closing the distance between them, thrusting her arm forward… Preparing herself to let loose a full-frontal attack of chakra, her hand was just about to connect with his jaw-

"So I heard the Uchiha stopped by your place." With a lazy grace only he possessed, Kakashi calmly leaned down to avoid her attack, as she stumbled, confused.

Sakura stared dumbly at him for a moment, completely off guard, before mashing her teeth together and stampeding toward him again.

"Who the hell told you that?" Sakura dropped down, swinging her leg out, in an attempt to swipe his feet out from under him. Kakashi only had to jump in order to avoid her attack.

The lazy shinobi was smirking beneath his mask. When in doubt, throw in a few random comments guaranteed to piss Sakura off, and she would be bound to make mistakes. It was a rather bad habit of hers… but it provided the necessary time to evade her devastating attacks.

Of course, it only added to her rage and made her all the more dangerous, but that was a risk Kakashi was willing to take. He moved behind her, but she leaned and completed a back flip, throwing her strong legs out in the process. He narrowly avoided them, as he sidled his body to the left, forcing his own fist toward her gut.

"How was your tea party?" he said, cool as you please. Sakura furrowed her eye brows together and yelled to the heavens.

"Bloody awful! Shut the hell up!" Sakura pitched her own hand out to meet his. Kakashi realized her hand had chakra backing it up, so he pulled his own back to dodge a painful hand breaking.

"So, I took a little mosey down through the streets, and what should my wandering ears discover? A disgruntled medic and a dangerous man who seems to have taken more of an interest in her, than anything else." Sakura cursed how nonchalant Kakashi could talk, despite the fact she was throwing a flurry of punches at him. It pissed her off, really. Sure, she was definitely stronger than him, but his speed was more advantageous in this situation.

So the pervert was spying on her. Well, that was just goddamned perfect. His sense of smell probably alerted him to the Uchiha's arrival in the first place. Or he was just taking a stroll by her apartment and just _happened_ to overhear their encounter. Well, it seemed he only knew about the second visit, not the first. And _that_ visit was much more troubling.

Pivoting on her left leg, Sakura spun around, throwing her right towards his gut. The bastard leaned back as if it was a damn limbo stick; He thought this was funny? Next time Kakashi had a hospital visit, she would make sure to take a _personal_ look. He could shove his attitude up his ass. Upon planting her right leg on the ground, Sakura crouched and forced an uppercut toward his chin.

Kakashi merely cocked his head.

"I heard your little comment about him being 'ultra creepy' and smelling your… hair, was it?"

Sakura stopped moving, her eyes widened. There was a hard lump to swallow down her throat; she didn't say anything, so Kakashi did for her.

"Don't worry, I haven't told anyone, even Ino. But he certainly is warming up to you. Odd, ain't it?" He pulled his arm back and scratched the back of his head.

Sakura remained silent. Well, at least Ino didn't know.

It was now dark; the sun had almost completely disappeared over the horizon.

"Look, Sakura. You're in a complicated situation." Kakashi sighed. Sakura realized the fight was over and lowered her guard. Whereas Tsunade often took on the maternal role for Sakura, Kakashi sometimes filled in the father figure. He took care of her and Naruto when no one else would, and he was always there for them. Pervert he may be, he truly cared about his team, and being the only female in close contact, earned her a special place in his care and friendship.

"I know I am. Tsunade told me all about it." She let out. Kakashi nodded.

"The guy is sneaking into your apartment. You're lucky the Inuzuka were out of the village; they might have detected his scent. Shit, he's probably got his smell _all over_ your place. So no dog-loving, face-tattooed clan members over at your home for awhile, ok?" the grey-haired man asked. He was rewarded with a nod.

"I won't reiterate what your Shishou said to you. You know how dangerous a situation you're in. But Uchiha Itachi never failed missions, when we were in ANBU. From what I heard last night, he's got his sights set on you, for whatever reason, so _be on your guard_. You can always come to me if you need something. Got it?" He leaned forward and put emphasis on his last words.

"Yes, Kakashi." She mumbled. He looked at her, with an overwhelming sense of pity.

"You're in a mess, I'm sorry for that, and for all the teasing. I was freaked out at the beginning, believe me, but you always go with your gut, right? But at least one of the great mysteries of Konoha is well on its way to being solved…" the lazy jounin trailed off. "Now, go home, Sakura. You're tired and you've been through the week from Hell. I haven't smelled him, so I'm certain your couch is Itachi-free."

_That_ was enough to bring out a smile from the kunoichi. "Best news I've heard all day," she cheered out.

"Glad to hear it. Come on, I'll walk you home."

Sakura gave a small smile, which was returned with a small eye crinkle.

* * *

A bonfire seemed like a perfect idea right now. There were too many goddamned papers in this office and it seemed that was the only one way to solve that problem. It was summer… so thunderstorms were plausible in Konoha, right? Besides, lightening was unpredictable… and would just so happen to go through the window of the Hokage tower and light every document on her desk on fire, sending all paperwork into the fiery flames of corporate hell.

At least, that's what Tsunade thought.

Stacks of paperwork littered her desk and she had no intention of doing any of it. Where the hell did all this shit come from, anyway? The Fifth debated about actually reading a document, but thought better of it. She really just didn't _feel_ like it.

It was well into the night, also… she had been in that stupid little office for hours and it would be time to go home any minute. But Tsunade sighed, her body refusing to leave the chair behind the desk.

The papers were still there. They hadn't moved. It would have been nice if they would just take care of themselves. Tsunade once again came to the realization that the whole business portion of Hokage really wasn't her thing. Of course, she could handle everything diplomatically. She could defend her village. But signing papers… she really didn't give a damn.

It was just too bad that even the Hokage didn't get into the deeper secrets of the village. Who would have known such an awful history was behind the massacre years ago? Fucking Danzo and the Elders. How could they do that to one of their own? _No one_ deserves that fate.

Now she had to figure out how to deal with this situation. Unfortunately, it was frowned upon to kill council members and the man behind one of the deadly organizations in Konoha; it wouldn't go undetected. This had to be handled with care… that is, if Uchiha Itachi wasn't pulling some ridiculously, multi-step stunt in the first place. Of course, there was always that chance, but Tsunade's instincts told her otherwise. This was completely out of his character.

Whatever, everything works out somehow, she supposed.

Piles of papers towered on her desk. They really weren't going away… How hard would it be to just use a fire jutsu…? It would be an accident… Tsunade sighed. Life was just one big mess. Of course, the Godaime wanted to laugh… her own pupil was up to her hair in her own troubles. But that would be resolved soon, as well. She hoped.

Tsunade looked at the clock on the wall. It was well into the wee hours of the morning; she'd sleep in a little tomorrow for all the 'hard work' she had completed today. Of course, it was bullshit, but no one would know.

Tsunade stretched her back, as she did every night before getting ready to head home. Just as she was getting ready to stand up, a primal instinct told her not to move. It seemed Sakura had delivered her message to the Uchiha and he was actually going to stop by. Tsunade shifted in the chair and stared at her desk, waiting expectantly.

Feeling a presence now within the walls of the office, Tsunade quickly performed the hand signals for a barrier around the room. No one would know who was in here, what was being conversed, or any other details. Ready to face him straight on, Tsunade lifted her eyes to face one of the most infamous nin in Konoha's history.

What she saw was a man standing before her, in a trademark Akatsuki cloak, which was opened completely. Dark pants and shirt greeted her as she looked from his feet to slowly meet his face. The Fifth noted the man's physique beneath his tight shirt. Holding back a smirk, she realized there was no question as to why Sakura was so unnerved by the man.

Tsunade was now looking at the man's neck, wondering if it was best to meet his gaze. But the decline of his chin clearly pointed to the fact that his head was bowed. To her. The Godaime quickly stared into the face of Uchiha Itachi.

His eyes were closed, but upon sensing she was now looking at him, they opened to reveal his charcoal eyes. It was then he raised his head up to meet her own stare. The blonde spoke first.

"Uchiha Itachi." He nodded, without a word.

"You are here under peaceful terms with this village? You shall not cause harm, nor do you have any underhanded plans in store?" She questioned. Once again, a wordless nod.

Tsunade realized how precarious a situation this was. Here was a man who was wanted by almost every country, and she had invited him into the Hokage tower willingly. If this was found out… well, she knew the name of the creek she'd be knee deep in.

"I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. For the past week or so, you've caused an uproar for a couple of people. You've completely uprooted the history of the Uchiha clan with an incredible story. Do you have any proof as to your claims?" the Fifth asked.

"Only my own words, Hokage." Itachi answered, truthfully. The blonde stared at the Sharingan wielder for a few moments. He had no evidence? Well, she should have suspected as much from the wrinkled, old fools and Danzo. They would no doubt leave nothing behind of their cruelty.

Itachi took the moments of silence to glance around the office. Nostalgia filled him… the last time he was here… well, it didn't end very well. He wouldn't like to think about it. But the woman in front of him, the fifth Hokage, seemed…appropriate for the title. She wasn't stupid- he could tell that very well. Of course, she may be a little lazy, judging by the mountains of papers on either side of her. That was hardly the point, though. He knew of her physical power and other accomplishments. Tsunade was indeed worthy of her title of Sannin.

Dark grey eyes watched as amber started to harden. Tsunade's demeanor changed roughly, denoting an air of authority and agitation, not unlike a particular favorite personality Sakura often utilized… The gruff nature about Tsunade reminded him of her apprentice; a small smirk making its way upon his face. Tsunade was quick to notice.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, brat. None of that, while you're here. Unless you care to explain what is attempting to make you laugh. You're on my ground now, and I will not hesitate to put you through the wall, if I desire." The blonde gestured to the wall behind him and Itachi almost laughed. There was a… _paperweight_…? Embedded several inches into the plaster.

"There is no doubt of resemblance between you and your student. She takes after you in many ways; it is fascinating to me." He answered honestly.

Tsunade blinked. "Yes, I've heard all about that, Training ground 4 is fantastic proof of our similarities, especially when provoked. But that's not the reason for your presence. You know this?"

"I do."

A pause. Tsunade quickly understood how infuriating the male could be and why Sakura was so pissed off at him constantly.

"Since you don't feel like breaking the ice, I'll do so. Now, you confirm that the Elders and Danzo ordered you to kill your clan? The Third Hokage attempted to stop the Uchiha uprising peacefully, which ultimately failed? Uchiha Madara helped you in your task, because of selfish reasons? Are these points true?"

"Yes, they are as they appear."

"You plan to go after Sasuke, who you believe is under influence of Orochimaru? A twisted kind of atonement is in store?"

"It is so."

The blonde started rubbing her head. There was no doubt; Uchiha Itachi was stifling curt. How did Sakura manage to hold conversation with this guy? Surely it would have been pulling teeth for anyone…

"Damn it, Uchiha. You are allowed to talk more than just agreeing terms. Now tell me what you plan to do. I won't expect anything less than the truth. I have a variety of medical techniques to use at my disposal. As does Sakura, should she decide to partake in the festivities." The Fifth stated, rather annoyed.

An irrationally long pause followed. It was late and Tsunade wanted nothing more than to get this over with and go the hell home. Sake was calling to her and this bastard was taking his time. Shit, it was like trying to get Shikamaru to do something. Just when Tsunade was about to declare Uchiha Itachi a complete jerk and waste of time, he decided to open his mouth.

"I plan to kill Sasuke, but I will not do so under Akatsuki name. I wish to be recognized as a Konoha nin. I killed the clan under orders, and have repented long enough for my crimes. I had hoped Sasuke would help me atone for said criminal acts, but that is no longer possible. As such, change is in store."

"Yes, yes, we know all of this, get to the point," came a bored response.

"I will give you information on Akatsuki and whatever demands you ask. I merely wish to be put back on record as faithful to the village to restore the innocence to my lost brother."

"Even if the knowledge of your loyalty is known by only a few people?"

"That is acceptable. As long as I have been cleared and restored as loyal to Konoha."

The blonde drew a breath.

"That might be possible… I'll have to figure something out, but I can manage it. But the real problem is what to do with the Elders and Danzo. They're still hanging around, you know. I wouldn't like to think about what other heinous orders they have given out… but what is done is done, I suppose."

"Thank you, Hokage," was his formal reply.

"Now, here's another situation. If you're loyal under the Leaf, you can't be ferrying back and forth between here and Akatsuki. You are prepared to leave them?"

"Yes, but it shall be a slight bit complicated." Itachi claimed. Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him.

"I take it that you can't simply leave the organization?" she inquired.

"No, I cannot. I have information on the organization and Uchiha Madara would not be pleased to learn I am resigning my membership." The blonde raised an eyebrow, prepared to ask a question, but the Uchiha beat her to it.

"There are currently six members in Akatsuki. Pein, Konan, Zetsu, Kisame, and myself. The last member is known as Tobi, but is actually Uchiha Madara in disguise. Pein may appear to be the leader, but Madara is truly pulling the strings behind the production. Don't be fooled by his childish personality. In fact, I believe Madara is slowly descending upon the brink of insanity. He is losing touch with reality by confusing the Tobi persona with his original personality. It is rapidly progressing."

"And how does this affect you leaving Akatsuki?" the blonde asked.

"I will not be able to leave formally. However, I may act as a double agent for your purposes. I will keep tabs on their developments as I originally intended. Only now, it will be officially on paper. It will not be long until Madara completely loses his sanity. He will start acting irrationally any day now; he's already showing signs of madness. Once it fully takes over, I'm sure there will be an uprising within the organization and disbandment." The dark-haired man clarified. Tsunade decided to respond.

"But… in the meantime, you'll report anything back here, to me. _Personally_, correct? You are to act under all my orders and _only_ my orders. Understood? I'll let you continue your spying, just keep me in the loop. I'm holding you to oath." There was a hint of something in her voice… possibly telling tales of what could happen should Itachi disobey her.

Uchiha Itachi nodded, "Understood, Hokage." He bowed slightly toward. The Fifth took this as a sign of agreement. No signed documents could be used, should someone find them. It could only be words and honor exchanged in this case. But Tsunade had a trump card.

"Now, Uchiha, explain to me what is going on between you and my student." The dark tone in her voice wasn't missed.

"I find her interesting," was his calm reply.

"Interesting? She's not an exhibit, Uchiha. She's a human being. And she is to be treated like one. Right now, you're acting like a little child who plays with his food before he eats it." Tsunade fisted her hands, visibly.

"I know this, but I do not consider her merely a toy. I find her a fascinating paradox, with much of her personality mirroring yours. I can see her in you, amongst other incredible qualities. Despite this, she is truly one of a kind," Itachi claimed.

"Now isn't the time to dodge the question, brat. Without my permission, your whole atonement plan isn't going to work. Now explain. _In detail_." The Godaime bit out.

Uchiha Itachi smirked.

"She is remarkably intelligent, which is coupled with her skilled ability to take care of herself. She can be infuriatingly sarcastic, yet caring. Of course, she is lovely, as well." Charcoal eyes lowered dangerously.

Tsunade digested what he stated. "You're telling me," she started. "That Haruno Sakura is worthy of your attention? You… Uchiha Itachi… wish to get to know her personally?"

"I tell you the truth. She interests me… on a deeper level. I understand that the situation now is delicate, but perhaps… there is a chance?" The Uchiha boldly stated.

The blonde blinked. It was official. Uchiha Itachi wanted to know Haruno Sakura… on a deeper… level? Holy shit.

"Alright, listen. If you play nice, you're welcome to go after her. Of course, only once all this bullshit is over or it's safe for you to do so. Be mindful that I'm not going to force her to do anything. If she rejects you, be warned that you may very well suffer… She won't be gentle if she tells you off." The Fifth heeded.

"I am aware of her physical, medical, and verbal assaults. I have your permission?" he asked.

"Yes, yes. Whatever. Just wait until things are a little bit more under control, alright? But just listen to me. She's confused. She has high standards, but it seems you're the only one to pass the test. If you're going to go after her, make sure it's for the long haul. You hear me? Otherwise, I'll plaster your insides to the walls around the village."

Yes, the Godaime and Sakura were eerily similar. It was quite apparent, now.

"It is understood. But I may continue to see her in casual greetings?" Tsunade realized he was up to something… but she didn't know what. But it seemed like this was one battle she wouldn't win.

"As long as you're careful. If you're caught, I can't help just yet. However, I'll let you know who is aware of your situation. It consists of myself, Sakura, Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto, and Nara Shikamaru. In the mean time, keep off the radar. You just gave me a shitload of work to do." Tsunade sighed.

"I apologize. I certainly caused a disruption." Came a plain response.

"You're full of crap. You did more than a disruption. You just overthrew one of the major events in Konoha's history." The Fifth bit out.

"We are done, for now?" Uchiha Itachi smoothly let out. He stared at the blonde for a moment, wondering if she had anything else to ask.

"We're done. I expect to see you back when you have something important. Or even if you don't. Just be here so I can check up on you; there are tabs I need to keep in check. You understand? Once I get the paperwork done for you to be reinstated, you'll be on probation for awhile- but it won't be public knowledge. That will be worked out later. Now get your ass out of my office." The blonde huffed.

"Of course, now, if you will excuse me, my... ass... will leave. It was a pleasure talking with you, Tsunade. Please, have a good evening. I shall see you soon." And with a smirk, Uchiha Itachi disappeared from the office.

Tsunade instantly released the barrier jutsu.

Now she understood why Sakura was always so pissed by him. She wouldn't deny the man was handsome. He was clever and knew what he wanted. He was _so_ Sakura's type.

Anyway, now she had to sneak behind the council's back and put Uchiha Itachi back in the good books. Somehow. Well, that would be a case for the Nara… The blonde rubbed her head and grumbled.

In the meantime, she now had information on Akatsuki to record, not to mention more data would be coming in… Things were looking up. Except the mountain of paperwork was still looming treacherously over her desk.

Not to mention, she had Danzo and the Elders to deal with. That would prove to be a tricky situation in itself. No wonder Itachi had to come to Sakura first, then her. If he just showed up and tried to explain his story, he would have been immediately apprehended, probably laughed at, and executed.

Sneaky little bastard. He was far too clever for his own good. He wasn't thinking a step ahead; he had planned out the whole situation! Ooh, Tsunade wanted to ring his stupid neck. It wasn't fair, how easy he could manipulate-

No, 'manipulate' wasn't the right word. He didn't _manipulate_. He just accessed the situation, looked at every possible outcome, and acquired a solution to each. He probably could give the Nara a run for his money…

Back to the geezers and Danzo. There wasn't anything she could do now; that would be a plan for tomorrow. It was far too late, by now. The dark morning hours were starting to wear her down. Yes, it was time to go home…

Tsunade packed up her belongings and began walking to the door of the office. Sparing a quick glance at the object stuck in the wall, she smiled and opened the door.

The Hokage realized she may have made a deal with the devil… A deal which included her permission to allow said devil to pursue her student- practically her _daughter_.

Closing the door behind her, Tsunade could only hope Sakura wouldn't kill her when she found out.

* * *

So... I would like to point out that it's March, yah? Almost April?

I stopped by my house yesterday. The Christmas tree is still up.

Let me know what y'all think!  
-Kiwi


	11. Nile

Sorry for the delay; a research paper took over my life.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any characters in Naruto. Said characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

"You _what_?"

Sakura didn't hold back- well, she didn't scream, or shriek… but tone of voice she used clearly conveyed her feelings. Her voice had a hint of anger, a pinch of frustration, and a whole lot of killing intent.

The young medic had been requested to visit Tsunade's office this afternoon. The past few days had been blissfully Uchiha-free and Sakura felt no problem with that. She had helped out in the hospital and thus, earned some good money. After all, it didn't seem like missions would be in store in the near future, but the rent needed to be paid. And so, she returned to tending the injured.

It was like a breath of fresh air. No stiflingly obnoxious and arrogant bastards breaking into her home and draping themselves all over her furniture. No infuriating intelligent mind games and conversations. Truly, it was a wonderful few days.

In fact, she really hadn't given the Prick much thought over the time being. After the second night of not being graced by his stupid presence, she _may_ have thought about him for a moment or two, but after which, the dark-haired jerk left her mind completely.

She really wasn't too surprised at him leaving for several days straight. Sakura imagined that he had to check back in to Akatsuki Headquarters, so as to keep himself under the radar of suspicion. It made sense and the last thing Konoha needed was the rage of Akatsuki based on the list of actions Uchiha Itachi decided to appoint himself of.

Really, Sakura was worried on some level. If Akatsuki found out about Itachi's multitude of lies and web of deceit, it wouldn't look good. She'd rather not think about it.

So she didn't. For several days.

That is, until Tsunade called for her to step into the familiar office and from there, Sakura's relatively cheerful attitude took a turn for the worst.

The Hokage stared at her disciple and sighed. "Really, Sakura. Those dramatic moods get old after awhile."

The apprentice hardened her glare. "I'm sorry. _Could you repeat that?_" Sakura didn't even need to open her mouth; somehow the words came out through mashed teeth. Tsunade didn't pay her attitude any mind.

"You heard me. Uchiha Itachi is going to be reinstated. It's not done yet, but Shikamaru's taking care of it." With indifference, the Godaime waved her hand. Sakura didn't appreciate the carefree aura her teacher was giving off.

"That's not what I'm talking about, Shishou." Sakura said darkly.

"Oh, you talking about how he's going to give us information about the Akatsuki, amongst other orders I give him?" came a nonchalant response.

"No. The other part. The last part which you mumbled rather quickly." Sakura's eyes were now an incredible dark green. Tsunade recognized the look, as one she herself could give. Knowing exactly what to do, the Fifth picked up the replacement paperweight from her desk and began tossing it up and down throughout the air.

Sakura caught on quickly. It seemed that her mentor was going to keep the first paperweight in the wall as a warning signal, she noted. However, Tsunade seemed to be playing the same game Sakura played with Kakashi so long ago, but Sakura had done so with her gloves. The pinkette and the blonde prided themselves on the ability to speak loudly without words. A simple action was often enough- and it seemed that Tsunade was just as willing to throw the new paperweight into something as the first one.

Somewhere over the years, Sakura knew that she had, or was dangerously close, to surpassing Tsunade. But there was just something about the blonde that told Sakura to never doubt her Shishou's abilities. It seemed such circumstances had happened many times, but each one again reminded her that Tsunade was a deadly force to be reckoned with.

Tsunade was pleased to see the glare lighten, slightly. It was unfair tactic, really. After all, Sakura's mannerisms and temperament were very much like her own- in fact, they were probably equal. Stopping such tempers were very well within the Fifth's capabilities. And she'd be damned if she didn't use it to her advantage.

With Sakura now calmed down enough to hold a decent conversation, the blonde explained herself.

"Now, let me share the other night's happenings- the part you're asking about. I'll be blunt. He likes you." Tsunade waited a moment for Sakura to recover and put the new paperweight back on the desk.

"You mean- he. What?" A pink eyebrow rose up.

"Don't play stupid, you heard me alright. I said _he likes you_. He admitted it in front of me. He even said you were lovely." Sakura opened her mouth, but was cut off. "Shut up until I'm done. He knows what he's getting into, believe me. But know that I told him that the final decision is yours. If you say 'no,' then by all means, he should realize provocation is not a wise path. And the bastard knew what that entailed, too."

The Godaime sighed.

"You see, he knows exactly what he's doing, and frankly I can't keep up with all his shenanigans. I pick up the important stuff; the bullshit about the Akatsuki, the whole Orochimaru business… but I figure you can at least handle this matter on your own. But damn, he's a prick." Tsunade rubbed her head.

Sakura laughed. It was funny how her teacher would use her own favorite word to describe him, as well.

"I wouldn't be laughing so much," Tsunade let out. "Just be warned, you have a dangerously handsome man coming after you- even I can't deny that. But he's certainly perfect for you and I'll be damned if he's not persistent."

"I think I've figured that out by now, thanks." Sakura stated acidly.

"There's no need to get sassy with me, Sakura. At least I decided to give you forewarning about it." The blonde bit out.

"Yeah, but it certainly took a few days, didn't it?" the pinkette huffed.

"I felt you could use a break from all the hysteria, didn't you? Don't tell me you didn't enjoy having some time by yourself." Came the Fifth's response.

"If I enjoyed having so much time by myself, then why even bother? Clearly I prefer being alone than to being chased by an older man!" Sakura yelled, bitterly.

"Oh hell, Sakura. You just don't understand yet, but you will. Now, be reasonable. He's only a few years older than you, so calm the hell down and stop fussing." Tsunade rubbed her head harder. So this was what it was like to argue with yourself, she mused.

Sakura crossed her arms and shifted her eyes to the left.

"Whatever."

Tsunade took advantage of the moment.

"Glad to hear it," she deadpanned. "Now, shoo. Go away unless you have something interesting happen." With that, amber eyes focused back down to the desk, with one hand making a gesture for Sakura to leave.

With a snort, the pinkette left.

* * *

It was still light out and Sakura enjoyed that fact.

Why? Because nighttime usually was the _favorite_ time for her _favorite_ person to show up and she didn't feel like bothering with him again. Looking up to the sky, the sun was still out, and Sakura figured she had another hour or two before darkness would overtake the village. Walking back to her apartment, the medic sighed in relief when she found out that there was no Uchiha occupying her couch.

Really, the simple things were starting to please her.

Sakura shut her door, locking it, and proceeded to her bedroom where she changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. She hadn't planned on going anywhere later, so it was perfectly fine by her to walk around like a lazy bum. Besides, it might even act as a deterrent for one of her _pursuers_.

Putting water on the stove, Sakura gathered a tea cup and sugar. After hunting around the kitchen, it seemed to be the only drink worthwhile at the moment. _That's_ _because you drank all the alcohol the other night_. Oh, right.

Leaning against her counter, Sakura realized how childish she'd been acting. Why was she being so defensive? It was true that she didn't mind have some time to herself, but she felt something was off.

She felt bored.

How dumb was that? With some time to actually get work done and focus on herself, all she could think about what how dull everything was. Sure, operations of various sorts were always a challenge or self-gratifying to know you helped someone…

But in essence, she was left in a world of indifference.

Pouring the now hot water in the cup, Sakura then fixed her tea.

The kunoichi noted that she was full of contradicting emotions. It was like inside of her was chaotic and she didn't appreciate that. She needed to figure this all out, or it'd be the death of her. The pinkette slammed her palm into her face, hoping the abrupt action would knock some sense into her. Unfortunately, it didn't. There seemed to be an unknown force screwing up her thoughts and it refused to go away.

Sitting down at the table, teacup in her hand, Sakura felt entirely confused. In the end, she decided that she would just have to let everything run its course. She'd know the right time to do the right thing.

Stupid, attractive brat. He just _had_ to waltz into her life and mess it all up, didn't he?

A frown worked its way on top of her face. He was nothing short of irritating.

Sakura glanced up toward the couch. It was still unoccupied.

The medic focused back down to her tea cup and drank a few sips.

"Ow, goddamnit!" She mumbled, rather loudly. Without realizing it, she just inhaled boiling water, and she was less than thrilled. Standing up, Sakura walked to the freezer and pulled out two ice cubes. She shut the fridge door and turned to the table.

Somehow, she kept a look a surprise and aggravation on hold. For leaning against her front door, was an Uchiha Itachi.

Scowling at him, she growled out, "Are you aware of how incredibly creepy you are? Is there no other place for you to go but than to plop yourself in my apartment?"

Itachi looked at her, holding ice cubes in her hand, dark blue sweatpants and matching top, which barely covered her abdomen. It was an odd sight, seeing her so casual, but it didn't bother him. It merely added to the complexity of the woman he was so interested in. He glanced to the table, where a lone tea cup stood, steam clearly radiating from it.

"Sakura, this appears to be the safest area for me to reside at the moment and have contact with you." He calmly said.

Plopping the two cubes into the cup, Sakura sat down, rather forcefully. "Well, you could have knocked or something. Besides, it's still light out; it's a little bit dangerous to be sneaking around in daylight, don't you think?" Sakura huffed.

"Clearly, it was not a problem, which is unfortunate and fortunate at the same time." Itachi then walked over and took his seat at the table. Meanwhile Sakura digested his words, it was true that it was a bad thing he could get in here undetected… but then, who else could? She wouldn't think about that.

"I see you had a nice little chat with Shishou." she stated.

"I did."

Sakura saw where this was going: Nowhere.

"Why are you here, this time? What more do you need from me?" she asked.

"A few things." Sakura took a sip from her now perfectly warm tea. She raised an eyebrow at him. Fine, if he didn't want to talk, then she wouldn't either.

A smile crept on the Uchiha's face; she was being stubborn again.

"I wanted to ask you something." He commented, rather quietly. Sakura perked up and stared at him. Her focus on him was the indicator for him to continue. Itachi, however, almost laughed at her subtle motion. It seemed he was rubbing off on her. But that was not of importance, now.

"Is it possible, you could tell me what Sasuke was like, growing up?" He delicately asked.

The pinkette blinked. It seemed he had a mood swing; one moment, he looked like he was enjoying something. Now, a solemn tone in his eyes took over.

She thought about it… Shock of Sasuke's take-over had now worn off for the most part… of course, it still hit her heart somewhere deep whenever she thought about it, but she had accepted his fate and believed that she was able to move on. But Itachi had never known what Sasuke was like in his pre-teen years, or anything like that. At those particular times, when Sasuke was a good person… with some issues, yes, but he was still a good guy, no question. No one would have suspected what would become of him years later… Sakura figured the least she could do was fill Itachi in- after all, the guy had gone through so much and it was a small request.

Itachi saw her mood lighten slightly, as her mouth's corners turned upward. She looked him straight in the eye and answered his question.

"In the academy, he was always driving himself… I guess I understand why. But, he pushed himself in every way possible. Of course, I had the higher scores in written exams, but he was brilliant, too. Shikamaru was clever, as well, but he figured it was 'too troublesome' to even answer the questions… Anyway. Your brother was the heartthrob of the class; girls were always fawning over him." Sakura decided to not put herself in that category.

"And then, we were placed on the same genin team, with Naruto. What an odd trio we were, really… Naruto had incredibly awful scores everywhere, while Sasuke was a jack of all trades. I was just… book smart and couldn't contribute anything more than that. And despite Naruto's poor grades, he was still a much better fighter than me. But then Kakashi became our Sensei, and truth be told, we actually did work well as a team. It was funny though- on our first mission, Kakashi had us do the chakra tree-climbing exercise. It was weird to see Sasuke do just as badly as Naruto on something." She continued.

Sakura sighed. "But those two were always going at it. They were both constantly driven to best each other in every way. Kakashi and I just watched." The medic added.

"It's just odd. To think that it will never be like that again… you know?" she glanced at him. He blinked at her. "Oh, of course you know. You're been through hell and back more times than I can count." With that, Sakura took another sip of tea.

Itachi thought about her words.

"So, he was loyal?" he inquired.

Sakura tilted her head, "Yeah, until Orochimaru decided to shit all over everything."

"Aa." And he looked down at the table.

The kunoichi stared at her table companion. She couldn't imagine what he was going through. Itachi had tried so hard to make everything work out, but in the end, he lost everything. But his salvation came in his little brother, who he had gone at lengths to provide a decent life. Then everything…just fell apart.

He was forced to kill his clan. His Uncles. His aunts. Grandparents. Cousins. His own father. And his mother… How more devastating could it get? He had saved his little brother, in hopes of a good life, but Sasuke had turned it down and become consumed by rage- and not the way Itachi had intended it.

Sakura realized Uchiha Itachi's life was just a monsoon of crap on his parade.

She didn't know what made her do it, but it was probably her inborn nature to help. To heal.

Sakura stood up and walked over to him. Without a word, she leaned over him and laced her arms behind his head. She buried her head next to his neck and mumbled a barely audible, "I'm sorry."

His eyes widened. She had willingly come over to him and embraced him. She felt sorry for his pain and agony. And… and when was the last time someone had wrapped their arms around him? Surely, it had been his mother… Yes, it had been a long time.

Sakura was trying to be discreet… Whilst putting her own head on his shoulder, she could now detect his natural scent. What was it? As best, she described it as burnt wood. It smelled _good_. Very good. She needed to stop inhaling so deeply, really…But if she stopped breathing, she'd probably pass out, and waking up on the Uchiha's lap would not be fun.

Sakura was debating about letting go, when she felt his own arms wrap around her back. It was odd, to give a hug with one person standing, and the other sitting, but it was the _right_ thing to do. If he was ok with her touching him like this, then by all means, she'd suck it up. And it looked like he could use a hug, anyway. It was then she felt his own head rock forward into her shoulder, while his arms moved down to her waist.

He sighed.

That was all she needed to hear. He wouldn't outright tell her he appreciated her gesture, but the sigh was good enough. It was the small amount of comfort she could do for him right now. His wounds were deep and emotional and the simple embrace was all she could do to help him. It was sad to think that not even the most skilled of medics could heal his scars.

But Sakura also noticed his how warm his hands were on her back. In combination with his scent, Sakura felt truly comfortable and at peace, and something else… She had a hint as to what, since Inner Sakura was practically screaming words like, "physically attracted," "you're into him," and "arousal." The medic forced herself to shut up mentally.

Itachi now realized his arms were on her back. He had unconsciously done so, a habit deeply ingrained from the past, which seemed to show up again. It seemed he still remembered what it was like to share physical contact without being overly perverse, but friendly. Itachi was aware that her top had ridden up because she was leaning over- in fact he was touching her bare skin. He stopped himself before he could go any further and do something he might regret; after all, his mother had taught him proper manners. As much as he wanted to get closer to the kunoichi, he would do it tastefully and to his own liking. And so he slid his hands off her.

Until he felt something.

It was on her lower back. The left side. He ran his finger over it out of curiosity- it was about half an inch thick, and three inches long. She pulled back from him and looked at him hard in the face. His unspoken question was clearly written in his eyes.

Sakura straightened and turned to show him what he was touching. An angry mark on her back stared back at him. The way she had rolled her shirt up had shown him that there was a twin on her stomach. They were the same length and width; mirror images of each other.

He looked up at her.

She gave a half-hearted smile and answered him, honestly.

"I guess you'll be glad to know Sasori didn't go down without a fight, huh?" she joked, uneasy.

Itachi reached out his hand and traced the scar on her stomach. Sakura suddenly became aware of how close they were. He was _touching_ her. Indeed, this had progressed to the next level and she was going….

Well, she didn't know what she was going to do. In fact, his hands were drawling warmth to wherever they touched and were delicately dancing over the sensitive skin on her stomach. She fought down the distracting emotions and tried to focus on something else. But, damn, it was proving hard.

He was slowly moving his finger down the aggravated line, tenderly; as if he wasn't sure it would hurt her. It was like… he _cared_.

Itachi was currently mulling over this new discovery. Sasori had… impaled her? Yet, she was still alive. Sasori had died about five years ago, and from what he heard, it seemed it was Sakura and Sasori's grandmother were alone in fighting him. That meant… Sakura had healed herself of the wound? Or she had least dealt with it long enough before Sasori was defeated and healed it afterward.

Either way, that meant she was incredibly skilled medically at her age, which he guessed to be about 15.

"I should hope he wasn't an easy opponent. Despite the fact that he was part of an illegal organization, there are some qualifications to be met in order to be a member. Sasori was formidable in many respects." Itachi claimed.

Sakura gave him a dry look. "You think I don't know that?" With that, she shoved her top back down, covering the memento from the monstrous battle. She then forced herself back into the chair.

"I am quite aware you know how dangerous he could be. I was merely stating a fact." He commented.

"Well, you weren't the one thrown about through poisoned thickets of weaponry. I actually got hit, but thankfully I had made an antidote. You know, Chiyo baa-sama and I thought we got him at one point... Then he played his stupid little game of 'hide and go seek' and that's how I got _this_ little surprise." Sakura drawled out, while rubbing on her stomach. "So, your little _fact_ was redundant."

"It was not. I was acknowledging his power."

"Bullshit. You're just making excuses." With that, Sakura took several gulps of her tea. She slammed the cup back on the table.

Itachi narrowed his eyes at her.

"See, now you're pissed." Sakura smirked.

"You know, Sakura, I believe I'm rubbing off on you." He tilted the corners of his mouth upward; the beginning of his own smirk.

"Well, when you decided to implant your ass in my kitchen several times, I would think something would stick. So stop being obnoxious." She took a breath. "What's it like in Akatsuki?"

He blinked at her.

The medic sighed. "Oh, come on. You heard me. How'd you get in, anyway? Did you just waltz in through the door and say, 'Hey, everyone! I just did a really bad thing! Can I join your club?'"

Itachi's face remained impassive.

"Yeah, you're right. You probably just made some dramatic entrance and stared everyone down. Bet you didn't even say a word." She laughed.

"You seem to know me better than you think." He implied.

"Well, what can I say? All this one-on-one time has allowed me to figure you out. You certainly frustrated me in the beginning, but now I think I've got a good foundation of you." The rosette kunoichi leaned back in her chair, confidently.

"Is that so? Do you not think that information gathering goes both ways?" He added, slyly.

Sakura narrowed her own eyes at him.

"I know what you're doing. You're trying to piss me off again. Remember what Tsunade told you…" She cautioned.

The smirk showed up in its entirety. Sakura almost threw her tea cup at him.

"I am well aware of the threats you and your mentor pose. But, I think you need to worry about yourself more so than me." With that, Itachi leaned back in his own chair, just as confident.

Sakura let his words sink in, but they didn't register.

"Explain yourself." The medic responded, rather coolly.

Itachi nodded and stood up from the chair. He ever-so-calmly took off his Akatsuki cloak, staring at her the entire time. His hands had emphasized each button that came undone and Sakura watched as he put his cloak on one of the unoccupied chairs.

_Oh, he got you good_. Inner Sakura chortled at her. Sakura couldn't really disagree.

It was the first time she had seen him, or probably anyone had, without the bulky, large, un-exposing cloak about his form. Here he was standing in front of her, face completely smug with satisfaction as she looked at him, with considerably less fabric about his person.

He had on a tight black shirt, which was still capable of accenting the numerous abdominal muscles in his torso. He sat back down in his chair, and folded his two toned arms in front of him, leaning back once more.

Sakura noticed that he really wasn't that big… as in he wasn't disgustingly brawny, but his physique still demanded attention. There wasn't an over-abundance of muscle… he was just… _really good to look at_. Inner Sakura was currently wondering what was _under_ the shirt and the rest of his wardrobe.

Forcing herself to stop looking at his newly revealed form, Sakura looked back in his eyes. His delight in her perusal was clear on his face.

"I think I made my point clear." Itachi cocked his eyebrows quickly.

And then it hit the fan.

Sakura's world came spiraling into focus. It became all too apparent; she was admitting it to herself and it shocked her to no end. And it just so happened, that she didn't need to say it out loud for the jerk to know it, as well.

Sakura was attracted to Uchiha Itachi.

Sure she had told herself he was good-looking and yes, he was a good match for her. But, she hadn't _ever_ said she was attracted to him. At least, so definitively.

It truly was a miracle her jaw hadn't dropped open in front of him. She thought she had done a good job at pretending like nothing happened, but Itachi was nothing less than a master at detecting subtle cues from actions. But she wouldn't let him win, no sir.

"Ok, fine. Whatever. It doesn't matter." She claimed, a little higher pitched that usual.

Itachi noticed her quick defensive response. It only added fuel to the fire.

"On the contrary, Sakura, it _does_." His eyes glinted with amusement and excitement. She had just told him what he wanted to know so badly. At this point, it would only be a matter of time…

She refused to acknowledge his comment. Sakura lifted her tea cup to her lips again. It was cold at this point, but that was beside the point. It served as a deliberate action to ignore him. Blatantly.

"Aa, you can ignore it all you want, Sakura, but you just admitted it." Charcoal eyes hinted at triumph. But the pink-haired woman didn't say a word.

"You know," he started again. "It would be better if you just accepted it, out loud."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Came a matter-o-fact reply.

It seemed she was in denial. But no matter, Itachi mused. The seed had already been implanted. It would only grow at this point and he would be waiting for her when she realized it.

"You are rather hell bent on denying it. I am confident that will not be the case forever." With that, Itachi stood up from the chair. Sakura immediately stood up from hers, as well. Staring into his face, she saw his eyes change. The amusement drastically changed into a somber tone.

He spoke delicately, "Sakura, I apologize for intruding so many times. But I thank you, for talking with me… about my brother and your teammate." He needed to leave again, thus bringing the conversation to a full circle. The tone change came with it.

Suddenly, all previous emotions escaped her, but were replaced with the sorrow she felt from before.

"Of…course." She mumbled, softly. And her feet moved her forward, without thinking.

He wasn't paying complete attention to her. At least, not until he felt her arms wrap around his person again.

With them both standing up, Sakura could now properly embrace him. Her head fit in the crook of his shoulder, with her arms around his waist. She felt his arms lace around her upper back. And for once, Inner Sakura stayed quiet.

"I know he's gone… I do. But it's just so hard…" she talked into his shoulder. "I say that I've accepted it. I understand he's not coming back. But when I finally face such a person again, I can't help wonder at how things will turn out…" she trailed off.

Itachi understood now. It appeared she had kept her emotions bottled up inside her and needed relieving. Pushing his other thoughts aside, he joined her in the same notions.

"I do not know, Sakura. But if I had some way to look into the future, I would have used it long before now…" his voice saddened. He felt her arms tighten around him. This was truly remarkable. She was seething at him, no longer than a few moments ago, but now she was practicing leaning on him.

He could tell she was distressed. But had she no one else to talk to since he told her the news? Was he really the first person she could let her emotions run so freely with? Surely, there had to be _someone_ out in the village to whom she could confide.

But it looked like that wasn't the case. She was entirely independent and tried hard to be that way. Until now. Instead of keeping to herself, she found her body tangled in the arms of the last person she ever expected. How twisted fate seemed to be, that their two tortured souls found each other.

As much as he wanted to continue the holding of her, he knew he had to leave. Sakura must have thought the same idea, as she started to pull away from him.

Taking a step backward, she forced herself to say, "Sorry, about that. I got carried away for a moment."

"I believe we both needed it."

She nodded at him, unsure of what to say. So he talked for her.

"I will be going now. Please, take care, Sakura."

"You, too." Was her reply. He gave her a sad smile in return.

"I shall." And without another word, he grabbed his cloak from the chair and disappeared from her kitchen and out of her apartment.

Sakura sat back down in her kitchen chair and sighed. What a night. How did this all happen? She realized she was attracted to him and then had a heart-to-heart moment with him? Since when did life get so complicated? She certainly was a myriad of emotions today, but the true colors came through in the last few moments.

Sakura looked at the clock in the kitchen. Had it really been several hours since he dropped by? Wow, time certainly flew.

Sakura stood up, placed her tea cup in the sink, and got ready for bed. Laying down in between her sheets, she tried to think about something that would calm her down enough to fall asleep.

_We both needed it._ He had said. It was strange, that she found comfort in his arms, like that.

She had kept those emotions inside for awhile now, but tonight's meeting broke down walls and barriers, that all she could do was hold on to him to let all the emotions pass. And it seemed he was in desperate need of human consoling, as well. He just less apt to do so, but it seemed that barrier of his broke down, too.

Sakura had to admit, she felt comfortable with him. True, she was sarcastic as hell, or variations of it, but behind that, she now realized how she felt towards the man.

As she fell asleep, Sakura agreed with her friends; Uchiha Itachi was a good match for her.

* * *

Ok, first of all, Chapter 489. Gasp!

And once again, I apologize for the delay. School work took priority and thus, a twelve page paper was born.

Let me know what y'all think! Hopefully, this wasn't too corny...  
-Kiwi


	12. Crook and Flail

Please don't kill me for the delay!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters in Naruto. Said characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

It was evening and it was incredibly risky to dodge the shinobi on guard, but Itachi had more pride in his own abilities than those manning the walls. It wasn't in the wee hours of the morning that he was jumping over the village's borders- in fact, it wasn't even midnight. The shinobi would be more on guard and focused this time. And that raised the likelihood of getting caught.

But then again, he managed to weasel his way in here in broad daylight. Itachi inwardly laughed at how appropriate his name was. Truly, it was perfect.

Jumping over various rooftops, the Uchiha made his way to the southern border of the village. Running up the wall, his feet didn't make a sound. He leaped off the top of the wall and into the protection of the trees. He needed to get back to Akatsuki and report. With so many deaths that had happened over the years, it was necessary to keep tabs. Akatsuki was barely at half strength… and Itachi could hardly wait for the day when he didn't have to wear the black cloak with red clouds sprinkled on it.

He was about half an hour into his travels, when his senses gave a particular tingle… the one that said, 'you're not alone.' Usually, he would be alarmed at such an issue, but he recognized the chakra signature and slowed down his pace. Soon, he stopped all together, and stood patiently in a clearing. It didn't take long for the other presence to make itself known.

Out of the trees, walked a Konoha shinobi, with silver hair, one eye covered, and a blaringly bright orange book. Cool-as-you-please, Kakashi strode out into the clearing, eyes still down on his book, until he was a few strides short from Itachi. He then simultaneously snapped his smutty book shut and looked up at the shinobi in front of him.

Itachi gave a small decline of his head; it was the closest to a nod he'd give. "Hatake Kakashi."

"Uchiha Itachi." The silver-haired man drawled out.

Charcoal eyes fixated themselves on the porn in the other's gloved hand. "You still read that nonsense?"

The elder shinobi shrugged but gave a hard stare at the other man. "I wasn't aware you knew of my literary tastes."

"It was a topic of discussion within the Anbu while I was in the force."

"Aa."

Both men stared at each other for a few moments. It seemed neither of them were going to go out of their way to have a conversation with the other… However, Kakashi decided he would break the ice, as he was the one who pursued Itachi in the first place. It was only fair, anyway.

"Were you visiting Sakura?" he asked.

"I was. You knew I was there."

"I could smell you." Kakashi answered the Uchiha's unsaid question with ease.

"Aa."

Kakashi knew this would be obnoxious, but he had some of his own things to ask. The copy-nin stared at the Uchiha's face. Grey eyes stared back at him. The silver-haired jounin almost a sound of interest as he noticed this fact. It seemed Sakura had truly made an impression on the young man. Here Uchiha Itachi was, standing in front of him, on Fire country territory, with no Sharingan present… Either he was unbelievably cocky, or it seemed his eyesight had suddenly become precious to him.

"It's a little strange to see your natural eye color. Here I thought you never turned off the Sharingan." Kakashi drawled out.

Itachi fought down a smirk.

"I noticed that there are some things in life which are worth looking at." The dark-haired man replied. Kakashi nodded. Yup, Sakura was a key element in the Uchiha's behavior.

"I think I know what, exactly. You're serious about her?" Kakashi couldn't help it. Sakura truly was like the daughter he never had, and being his only female student, he felt the need to look out after her, as any respectful father should.

"Is it not apparent?" Itachi stated in his smug attitude. Kakashi wanted to wipe the smirk off his face. He suddenly realized why Sakura was always so annoyed with the Uchiha's attitude.

"Oh, I'd say so. But I want to hear you say it, yourself. Not others. I care about her, you know. As do many people. I want to make sure you're not bullshitting us. Believe me, she's no push over when angry." The threat was evident.

Itachi didn't hestitate.

"I am serious," he began. He had realized that the stoic attitude wouldn't work on the elder jounin. Kakashi didn't seem fazed by short retorts and comments. _That_ game was solely for the purposes of annoying pink-haired medics. And by far, those were scarce. Anyway, Itachi felt he needed to be honest. Kakashi was a formidable opponent and truth be told, Itachi respected him. Besides, if he was going to go through with his whole plan, there could be no secrets.

"I had everything taken from me at such a young age and if that wasn't enough, I had to take it away myself. I believe after so long, perhaps it is time for me to _live_. Do I not deserve some life, as well? I find your former student to be someone with whom I can make those next few steps into the life I should have had."

Kakashi was good at reading people… and there was no doubt Itachi was hard to read. But his natural eyes gave away the emotions that the scarlet ones hid. And within his eyes, Kakashi saw honesty and tire. There was no doubt that putting up such a charade had been taxing physically and mentally; it was all coming through.

"I don't doubt the trials you've had to endure. Granted, a shinobi's life isn't easy, but that doesn't stop me from saying Danzo's a bastard." Kakashi claimed. He brought his hand up and massaged his brow. "He's downright despicable in his actions- no denying that. The jerk probably made it so you couldn't even say 'no,' right? And covered his ass completely all the while. I don't need to tell you the name of the creek you're knee deep in, but rest assured, Danzo's torment of his village's shinobi will be repayed to him."

Itachi voiced his agreement. "I can only hope so, Kakashi. His influence over Konoha has been too long."

"Itachi, I've been in Konoha longer than you have, not to mention older than you. You're preaching to the choir." The silver-haired jounin sighed.

Itachi turned up a corner of his mouth, slightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you by neglecting your… age."

Kakashi gave a dry look. "That crap doesn't work on me, like it does Sakura. You're little quips won't piss me off. In fact, half the time, I dish it out, too."

The Uchiha stood in silence. He figured Kakashi was immune to such statements; apparently, Sakura's attitude had been attained from Tsunade, rather than the jounin in front of him. Yet, it seemed the Hokage and the Copy-nin were her counselors and acting parental figures. What an odd mixture.

A pause ensued for quite some time. Secretly, both men realized if their beloved rosette kunoichi were here, she'd be screaming in frustration at the silence.

And once again, Kakashi spoke first.

He sighed, "I'd like to say I'm a pretty good judge of character and have an accurate sense of gut feelings. Just know, if you're not serious, get the fuck out of here. And if you're lying, get the hell out of town."

"I am not playing in either regards." Came Itachi's causal response. But Kakashi noticed the hint of seriousness within it.

"Good. Now, I want to let you know a few things. I always thought something was up the night of the Massacre. I had no idea Madara and Danzo were in on the whole business, but I knew your whole "to test my capacity" reason was complete bullshit. I never worked with you, but from the way you always acted, you certainly didn't seem the type to do what you did without a legit reason. Unfortunately, Danzo's orders are considered legit."

Itachi remained silence, signaling the elder jounin to continue.

"And you know what? You and I really aren't that different. Aside from the whole Sharingan thing, our lifestyles are similar. We were both prodigies, way ahead of our time… Anbu Captains… and everyone close to us was taken away…"

Both men stared at the ground for several moments, reminiscing in things that would much rather stay buried.

Kakashi then quickly rubbed his hand behind his head, ruffling his grey hair. "And, it seems we've both got a relationship with a particular pink-haired Konoha Kunochi- albeit, different _kinds_ of relationships."

"Yours is parental. Mine is desire." The Uchiha said nonchalantly.

For a moment, Kakashi was dumbstruck, but quickly recovered.

"Uh, yeah. That's it," he mumbled. "As long as you will not hurt her."

"That is not my intention."

Another few minutes of silence, until Kakashi nodded at the younger man.

"Alright, well, I'm going to head back and I'm sure you're got to, as well. And I'll admit it, Uchiha. I would have liked to work with you, back in the day."

The dark-haired man nodded. The silver-haired man gave a small wave. Without a word, Kakashi popped his bright orange book open and began walking back toward Konoha. Uchiha Itachi spared him a short glance, before pivoting and heading toward Akatsuki Headquarters.

* * *

It was dark. Shikamaru didn't know what to think about Nighttime; sure… it gave him an advantage… but it was _dark_.

Like, no light.

Shikamaru sighed. It was depressing.

Like, really depressing.

He much preferred to sit out in the sun and watch the clouds roll by, but no. Nature only allowed that for half the day. Once dusk came, there wasn't any point to lay out in the fields.

You couldn't see _shit_.

Shikamaru was currently meandering around the streets of Konoha… Tsunade had given him an assignment and he had some time to waste. Well, not _waste_, per se. The shadow-user preferred not to rush and did things at his own pace. Except when the time didn't call for it. He wasn't sure what tonight would require.

And tonight, was going to be…well, troublesome.

Shikamaru sighed once more and stopped in the middle of the road. Why was he doing this again? Surely Tsunade could have picked someone else for this… But apparently not.

Whatever.

He guessed that the Hokage picked him to do this job only because he had access to the items and no else knew about the situation. Sakura couldn't be bothered with this. Kakashi didn't need to be doing such matters. Naruto obviously couldn't and _wouldn't_ do it. And that left his lazy ass. Damn it.

With that, the Nara sighed another time and began heading in the direction he needed to go. Konoha's streets were lit up with various lanterns and lights and it was actually kinda nice to look at. Except for the screaming, yelling, and loud talking of everyone wandering about. Shikamaru suddenly wished it was daytime, where he could lay in the fields, which were often deserted and quiet. The loud evening noises were annoying him; he really wasn't too much of a people person. This only solidified that fact.

Dodging the crowds, he began walking to the village's archives. The noise slowly dimmed down and Shikamaru thanked the fact he didn't have a headache. _That_ would only give him more problems to deal with and would be completely unnecessary obstacle to what he already needed to do.

He reached the building, which looked deceiving small and plain. It seemed reasonable though; the building served as a storage unit for old records, scrolls, profile data, lineage charts, mission assignments, and library. Essentially, within the small tower was a plethora of knowledge about recent Konoha and its history. Therefore, it only made sense to have Anbu outside the only entrance to the easily passable building. But Shikamaru thought it was funny. If the village was trying so hard to make the building look nondescript, wouldn't the two Anbu out front look out of the ordinary? Well, it wasn't his place to decide.

Shikamaru knew Sakura had visited the records department in the library to learn about the Uchiha, but all that was there were the scrolls documenting the massacre. That was what the records department held, anyway: scrolls containing Konoha's history of events. There wasn't anything about the Uchiha, himself, just news reports. Shikamaru realized he would need to stop at the records department at some point along with going to the mission scroll section. But unfortunately, that's where the problem was.

The records area in the library was public, and thus anyone could go there. Of course, only after passing the two Anbu at the front of the building- after all, it would be bad news if intruders got in there. However, should you want to go somewhere else, like look at mission scroll copies, lineage charts, profile data, and such, you had to do so under the watchful eye of the Anbu. Because, in the other sections of the building, other Anbu were stationed. And that's where the other problem was.

Not just any Anbu manned the doors and departments. _Root_ Anbu did. This was going to be _beyond_ troublesome.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, the shadow user slouched forward, realizing the faster he got into the building, the faster he could get the stupid work done, and get the hell out. Then go to Tsunade and report his success. With that mindset, Shikamaru dragged his feet toward the entrance.

The two Root Anbu glanced at him approaching. Shikamaru tilted his head to the right and stared at them with a bored expression. The Root easily recognized Shikamaru's trademark lazy attitude and nodded for him to enter the building. Muttering a "Nhhh," the Nara walked inside.

Stairs greeted him when he walked in. After all, with so much information to be cataloged, not all of it could be above ground to create the bland appearance of the building. Actually, _everything_ was underground. Walking down the stairs, one level, Shikamaru reached the public documents section, where Sakura had been some time ago. He opened the door and thankfully found the section to be deserted. Excellent.

Shikamaru had been in this department many times, and knew any documents relating to the Massacre were going to be in the back room. All old things were stored there, especially those relating to a particular multiple homicide over a decade ago that he needed to look at.

Another sigh escaped his mouth. The back room was notorious for being unorganized, dirty, and messy. This would be downright awful. Walking to the very back, the Nara braced himself before opening the doorway which served as the portal to the Disgusting Back Room.

Not surprised, dust and mold greeted him when he opened the door, as did the multiple piles of paper scattered all over the damn place. Scrolls were on the shelves, strewn about in no particular order and documents thrown in various places.

For the umpteenth time, Shikamaru sighed. Again. For a village so steadfast on keeping its past and history under wraps, it seemed that once the decade benchmark had passed for a particular event, it was assumed no one would give a shit about it.

A piece of paper dislodged itself from a shelf, swaying back and forth as it fell to the ground, in front of Shikamaru, mocking him. He watched it sidle to and fro, finally settling on another stack of paper.

Eyes narrowed; this pile of documents was stacked…neatly. Walking over to them, Shikamaru looked at the top paper: it was related to the Massacre. It looked like Sakura had made his life a little bit easier tonight… He cracked a small smile. The Nara could only imagine Sakura's visit back here, where there was no organization and categorical codes to makes things easier to access. But it seemed she had gone through everything and left the Uchiha Documents neatly stacked on top of one another.

Ok, so maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

Except the stack of papers was several inches thick.

_Aww… shiiitt_.

Shikamaru picked up the stack of papers and wandered over to the table in the back room. Plopping the pile down, he shoved himself onto the chair, throwing his face forward and onto the table top.

And groaned.

And laid there for a while.

At some point, his forehead began to wince from the pressure, so Shikamaru lifted his head up, putting his chin on the table top.

His eyes narrowed on the unmoving stack of papers. They weren't going to play nice; he could feel it.

Slowly, he pulled his arm on top of the table and reached for the top sheet of paper. Sliding it towards him, his eyes scanned the document.

This was going to take a _long _time.

Bracing himself, he pulled out the pen from his flak jacket, and began to make the necessary changes to the document.

The Nara made subtle changes and additions within the texts, making slight implications that Uchiha Itachi seemed out of character. This was only the first step; the good part was coming next.

It seemed all the shadow user was doing tonight was sighing. But sure enough, the stack of paper was deceiving. There actually weren't many reports, since each were multiple pages. Not to mention, he couldn't put "the Uchiha seemed out of character" in every document; that would seem a little suspicious. So within an hour, his task had finished.

It was time for part two.

Purposely scattering the papers around, he looked at the room. Sakura had been slightly foolish, leaving the stack so neatly. If a Root had come in here, he would immediately return to Danzo and inform him someone was looking at the Uchiha Files. To prevent this and keep up appearances, Shikamaru tried placing the pieces of parchment every which way and all over the place.

Dusting himself off when he had finished, the shadow-user slouched over to the door, opened it, and walked out of the dirty room. Shikamaru felt fresh air never had been so good, but his thought was soon interrupted. A Root member was sitting at a table in the main library.

"You were in there a long time, Nara." Came his cold reply. An unasked question was evident.

Shikamaru didn't give him an answer. Well, verbally. Instead, he merely cocked his head, with his bored expression clearly displayed.

"What were you doing in there?" the Root member asked, since his first statement didn't get a response.

"Tsunade asked me to look at the back room. See what kind of condition it was in." he drawled out.

"That doesn't take an hour." The Root claimed.

"It's dusty back there. And I wasn't motivated. So it took me a while to get into it." Shikamaru cocked his head to the other direction. Everyone knew how lazy Shikamaru was, so his excuse was easily plausible. Even the Root member knew it.

"Is that all you have to do?" the Root accepted.

It was then Shikamaru realized he wouldn't be able to do anymore tonight. It would certainly be suspicious if he asked to go to the Mission Scroll section. He would have to finish another night.

"Yup. I'm done. 'Night." Shoving his hands back into his pockets, Shikamaru nodded at the Root member, walked right past him, and exited the room. He proceeded up the stairs and left the Archive building.

"This is going to be so god damn troublesome."

* * *

"So, how's your boy?"

"Ino, why are you bringing that up?"

Sakura and Ino were currently sitting on the floor in Sakura's living room. The pinkette refused to sit on the couch, at the moment. Or the kitchen chair. For… reasons she didn't feel like telling.

She had been prepared to spend the evening alone, reading a medical volume, when she had heard a knock on the door. Before she could say "I'm coming," Ino had burst through the door, with nail polish and ice cream. Sakura couldn't even open her mouth before Ino explained, "Girl Night. You have no choice."

Sakura then prepared herself to a night of Ino demanding gossip about her latest… interest.

After putting the ice cream in the freezer, the girls had settled down on the floor. Ino pulled out a shade of pale pink from her collection and motioned for her friend to give her hand. The medic slowly pulled her hand out, as Ino unscrewed the cap.

That was when she asked the question. Blunt as always. And then Sakura became furious. But Ino quickly explained.

"Sakura, listen. I'm not quite sure what's going on. All I know is that you're spending a lot of time with Kakashi, not much with Naruto, and Shikamaru is moving slower than usual. And _that_ only happens when he gets tons of more work. So, are you going to tell me what's going on or do I have to force it out of you?" Ino flicked the brush across Sakura's nail.

Sakura wanted to tell Ino, she did. But Ino was a gossip mill and she would only complicate things even more. Bad things were to come if the village prematurely found out that Itachi was innocent.

"You'll find out. Soon enough." The pinkette offered.

Ino raised a blonde eyebrow. "You promise?"

"Yeah. I do."

"You going to tell me anything, at all?" she asked.

Sakura mulled it over. "I dunno, Ino.

Ino didn't buy it. "Sakura. You've been holed up in your apartment. You don't go out much in the evenings. Don't think I haven't picked up on that."

The pinkette refused to make any movement that would acknowledge what Ino was getting at.

"Girl, I don't understand, but you say I will. I'll hold you to that. But will you at least give me _something_ to be satisfied with?" the blonde grumbled impatiently, as she worked on Sakura's other hand.

"Nope." Sakura started eyeing the other nail polish colors, wondering what to paint Ino's nails with.

The blonde sighed.

"Will you at least tell me if he's treating you all right?"

The medic absentmindedly spewed out a few words, since she was preoccupied looking at the various shades of purple. "Uh, it really hasn't gotten there. But so far, he has. He's a lot to handle, actually."

Ino's eyes brightened. So… there was _something_ going on between the elder recluse Uchiha and Sakura. But there had to be some reason for it... Despite the Uchiha's devastatingly good looks, he was still untouchable. He was _a missing-nin, _for heaven's sake. And Goody-Goody Sakura wasn't into the whole "Bad Boy" thing. Sasuke was proof enough of that.

So why would she…? Ino knew Sakura. Sakura didn't date. Sakura wasn't interested in the opposite sex. And if Sakura was, she had high standards. And being ostracized from your home village was certainly at the bottom of Sakura's "Traits in a Life-long Partner" list. Something had to change her mind, then.

"Ooh, Sakura." Ino smiled mischievously as she finished up Sakura's hands. Sakura stalled for a moment, not liking Ino's tone.

"What, Ino?" Sakura said cautiously.

The blonde grinned sinisterly, "I think I may have figured it out. _Damn_, girl. You are _so_ lucky that you got to him first."

The pinkette blanched. Ino discovered Itachi's secret? Oh no. Sakura restrained herself though, in case Ino had the wrong impression. She didn't grace her friend with a reply- just in case.

The mind-jutsu user waved her hand. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. Seriously. Promise."

With that, Sakura nodded at her friend and stared at her nails. She had to wait for them to dry before doing Ino's, anyway. Her friend, however, hated silence, and broke it.

"So, tell me about him." Ino inquired, while motioning toward the polish.

"The pale blue, by your left foot," the medic stated and took a breath. "He's infuriatingly cocky and driven. Yet, the opposite. He's quite the human paradox, I'd say."

Ino was unfazed. "You're telling me more. Now," as she picked up the polish and started rolling it around in her hand. Sakura's own hands weren't dry yet.

"Fine," came the pink-haired kunoichi's exasperated reply. "He's kinda talkative. Annoying... Uh, that's all I'm saying."

"Wait, he's _talkative_? Really? From what I heard, he was verbally stunted. Are you kidding me?" Ino blurted.

Sakura shook her head. "Nope. Of course, he can be silent, but I got the feeling he does that only to annoy me, which seemed to be one of his favorite hobbies. But he can talk. And _laugh_, actually. Plus, sometimes he doesn't need to say anything; I can tell without him saying it."

Ino held onto a confused look. "What? How's that?"

Sakura cocked her head, and put on a thoughtful expression. "His eyes, I suppose."

"You've looked into his eyes!" the blonde yelled, incredulously.

The pinkette's mood turned confused, then to understanding. "Oh, right. I didn't tell you. When I came into contact with him, he turned his Sharingan off. His eyes are actually a deep charcoal, almost black. They give away what he's really thinking."

"Or maybe… you're just getting _really_ close to him and can pick up on his subtle expressions." The blonde flipped the nail polish bottle up and down.

Sakura made a face. "No. I think I'm just figuring him out."

"Just keep telling yourself that. I know you like to analyze people to an extreme and this Uchiha has profoundly stumped you, but that's not the truth." Ino claimed.

In a desperate need for topic change, Sakura interjected, "My nails are done. Here, give me the bottle."

Handing over the bottle, Ino didn't give up. "Don't you try and change the subject on me, Sakura. You're finally into someone. And he's not just anybody. It's _Uchiha Itachi_. Now, I know he's a bad guy. But you've got yourself involved with him to a ridiculous level, bordering on dating. Clearly, there's something more to him than everyone realizes. 'Cause I know Tsunade knows, and Kakashi and Shikamaru know, too. And they needed to approve of your connection to him."

Sakura stayed silent.

"And for him to be turning off his Sharingan? Do you even realize what that means? Let me spell it out for you. Uchiha. Itachi. Has. A. Thing. For. You. _You_!" the blonde starting yelling. "Now, start with this hand," as she held out her left hand.

"Yeah, I noticed. He told me. And Tsunade." Sakura grumbled, as she started sliding the brush across her friend's finger.

"Excuse me? Are you fucking kidding me? Look, I don't know how this is going to work out between you two, but I hope it does. But then, if Shikamaru is working on the case, I'm sure there's a chance. Goddamn, this is ridiculous information! Uchiha Itachi. The infamous mass-murderer of Konoha. Has a thing for a medic from his once village? Really? Oh, this is just _too_ good."

"Ino-pig. You are not to discuss this outside of this apartment or with anyone but myself, you hear?" Sakura growled.

"Yeah, yeah. Honestly, if it's for your possibly legit dating life, I'm all for keeping quiet. Not to mention, if my lazy ass teammate is doing something, clearly I need to shut the hell up, for once." Ino said, thoughtfully. Sakura sighed in relief that her friend actually understood the situation she was in.

"Of course," Ino began. "I'm here, in your apartment, and it's just us. So… that means we can keep talking about it."

The pinkette put on a dull look. "I hate you." Sakura motioned for Ino's other hand, who complied.

"No, you don't. Because, I can tell this whole situation is eating away at you. I can understand why, though. He's a genius. He's ridiculously good-looking. He likes you. You like him. But you can't say a thing in public. How do you keep it all inside?"

"Years of training." Sakura stated, boredly.

"Oh, bullshit. That's not it, come on."

"I have Shishou and Kakashi. I dunno, I can talk to them. But I suppose the hard part is actually trying put together his little mind games and figuring out what he's saying. Or maybe it's the complexity of his character. Am I making sense?" Sakura asked absentmindedly, while finishing up Ino's nails.

Ino gave a dry look. "You're not telling me something. To my knowledge, all these little things aren't adding up. You seem to know him pretty well. But from what you've told me, you've only been in contact with him… once? Probably twice, actually; that mission you went with Kakashi a week or so ago. Let me guess, a cover up?"

"Yup, you got it. I met him at a bar."

Ino looked at her nails in the meantime. They looked pretty good to her; Sakura had done a fine job. But that was beside the point.

"So, two times. And you know him that well. Ergo, I don't believe you. Something else is going on." Ino accused. Sakura refused to divert her eyes, trying desperately to hold onto a neutral face.

And Ino put the pieces together; the many recent evenings Sakura stayed in her apartment... "Oh, so it all makes sense now." She put a smirk on. "Sakura, Sakura. You devilish little kunoichi."

Ino gave nothing away, and Sakura returned the favor. The pinkette believed it was best to leave Ino to her own devices, so long as she stayed silent.

Realizing Sakura was going to stay quiet, Ino continued, but with a serious look. "Don't worry, it's safe with me. Believe your best friend, that's something that does _not _need to be revolving around Konoha's gossip mill."

"Thank you, Ino." Sakura sighed, once realizing her friend would stay quiet.

"You know, I was worried. 'Cause he's all, evil and stuff, but if you're going after him, apparently that reputation is flawed. You promise I'm going to find out what the deal is?" Ino inquired.

The medic looked at the blonde and smiled. "Yeah, girl. I do. When the time comes, you'll be the first to officially know."

The Yamanaka nodded. "Alright, I believe you. Otherwise, I'll have to start using my resources." With that, Ino grinned impishly.

"Something tells me, that won't end well."

"You know it won't. So, it's best to just tell me straight up." Ino cocked her head. She then checked her nails, seeing that they were dry.

"Perfect, now, let's bust that ice cream out of the freezer."

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

So between Water outtages, Power outtages, exam week, and other assortment of fun things I've experienced on various different days of past few weeks, I'm convinced 2012 is approaching, with my campus as a hot spot.

Just kidding.

Anyway, I'm sorry for the delay, and even when I did post, it's a transitional chapter! But it needed to be written. You'll see why. Or you already know.

But let me know what you think, alright?

-Kiwi


	13. Anubis

I come with a Peace Offering!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters in Naruto. Said characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

"Tobi is a good boy!" exclaimed the childish Akatsuki member. Currently, he and Kisame were sitting in the kitchen at Headquarters. And Kisame was lonely, but not _this_ lonely.

"You know, at first, hearing you yell that was funny. Now, it's just…obnoxious. Besides, if you're a good boy, then why the hell are you involved with the most wanted of missing-nin organizations?" Kisame sighed. They were both sitting at the table, with the incredibly hyper, mask-wearing member jumping and waving his arms up and down. The blue-skinned man was sitting at the complete opposite side of the table. Purposely. Too much of Tobi got annoying. And fast.

Kisame put his elbow on the table and put his chin in his palm. He seriously wondered where the guy got so much energy. Honestly, the rest of Akatsuki was certainly not like this at all. Zetsu may have entertained Tobi more than anyone, but he wasn't… Bouncy. And Pein stayed secretive, hardly ever talking… But then, when he was with Konan, you could see some emotion if you squinted. But not _nearly_ to the extent of Tobi. And Konan was just like Pein- secretive, except when with the other. Kisame always thought something was going on between those two, but it wasn't his place to say, nor did he really care. It was their business, not his, anyway.

Nope, his business, was his partner… the ever confusing Uchiha. From Kisame's first meeting with him, he figured the Uchiha was as dull and engaging as the dirt the Headquarters was constructed out of. In fact, Kisame realized, if he had a choice, he's rather play with the dirt, than hang out with the freaky-eyed prodigy.

'Cause Itachi was weird. And getting weirder.

Itachi was still as fascinating as concrete, to this day. But… something was off. The swordsman couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was there. Sure, his partner had always disappeared for days on end, but he always came back. And he still did. But something changed.

Not too long ago- it couldn't have been more than a few weeks- Kisame saw Itachi's real eyes.

And holy shit.

He honestly had no idea what to do when he saw them. The guy _always_ had his Bloodline Limit activated. And, well, it's not like Kisame didn't welcome the change- the dark grey was a less menacing than the scarlet and he wasn't going to say anything, 'cause he knew it would only take an instant and the Sharingan would be back on that stupidly handsome face of his.

And _everyone _knew what that Kekkai Genkai could do.

So the sharkman just kept his mouth shut, as did the rest of Akatsuki.

Except for the blithering, rambunctious idiot across the table from him. Kisame was now watching Tobi slide the salt shaker back and forth across the slick surface of the table. What an… immature person.

Kisame refocused on his previous thoughts; when Itachi had first entered Headquarters sans Sharingan, Pein, Konan, and him had merely glanced over, and shrugged it off. Zetsu hadn't been in the HQ for quite some time, at least a month, and was still out. But Tobi, on the other hand, had acted odder than normal.

In fact, he was completely out of character. Kisame had been expecting the ever-perky Tobi to make some comment about the Uchiha's eyes. You know, somewhere along the lines of, "Wow, Itachi-san! Your not-freaky-eyes are really pretty! Did you know that? I bet Itachi-san makes women jealous! Tobi's one eye isn't pretty like yours. But that's ok 'cause Tobi has PERSONALITY!"

You know, something like that, followed by giggling.

But no, that's not what happened at all. For some reason, Tobi had suddenly changed all together- his mood, speech style, aura… it was like he was a completely different person. The hyper Akatsuki member had immediately become serious and commanding. Not only could Kisame feel it, but it was evident when Tobi had spoken to the grey-eyed Uchiha.

"Your Bloodline limit is not activated." He had said, with an eerily calm voice. Kisame recalled how confused he was. Since when did Tobi become so serious? But then, if anyone were able to talk serious and hold such a conversation, it was Itachi.

Who didn't reply, actually. The swordsman marveled at how little the Uchiha spoke. But then, in this situation, it was so typical of him to stay silent. After all, his partner never uttered an unnecessary word, which meant that he felt most talking was redundant. So with Itachi refusing to acknowledge his words, Tobi talked again.

"Do you think it wise to show your natural eyes?" he had asked. But this time he got a response. And it was one that confused the hell out of Kisame.

"I am more than capable at the moment to walk around with it not on my person. You know as well as I do the price for continuous usage." And with that, the Uchiha left the room.

At first, the Sinister Tobi stared at the place Itachi once stood, before quickly laughing and bubbling around the area. Pein and Konan left, leaving Kisame and the childish man. It was unbelievable. Kisame knew that Itachi's eyesight wasn't perfect. But why would Tobi know that and better than anyone else?

Kisame was drawn out of his musings, as Tobi jumped from his chair and starting hopping around the kitchen.

"Let's play, Kisame-san! Tobi is bored!" he yelled, while bouncing around everywhere.

"Fuck. No." Usually Zetsu entertained the brat. Where the hell was the Evil Plant Guy, anyway? He should be turning up soon or Kisame hoped, at least. It was pretty common for Zetsu to disappear for weeks on end and show up again at Headquarters. However, the cannibalistic plant…thing wasn't here. Pein and Konan weren't in the vicinity either, plus Itachi was out somewhere. Which left him. And Tobi.

And Tobi wanted to play. Kisame sighed. Stupid brat couldn't sit still for longer than a moment. But the kid was persistent, so in the meantime, Tobi kept prying.

"Aw… Why not? Play with Tobi!" Tobi was now on top of his chair, leaping up and down. He would crouch on the chair, on all fours, causing his actions to look very froglike.

"I said, no." The swordsman glanced his eyes to the floor, in hopes of Tobi picking up the hint that he wasn't amused or interested.

Instead, to his horror, Tobi started wailing and climbed on to the table, crawling his way to the sharkman.

"But why, Kisame-san? Does Kisame-san not like Tobi?" The brat was now on his hands and knees, perched on Kisame's side of the table. An orange mask was less than a foot away from the blue man's face.

Kisame, finally getting pissed and showing how irritated he was, forced both of his large fists to the table. It rattled slightly, with Tobi still on it. "Yeah, you little kid. I don't trust you. And you need to fucking learn that just because you don't get your way, you can't force people to do what you want." The swordsman bit out.

And then it happened.

Tobi's mood darkened again and that sinister voice came out.

"That's where you're wrong, Kisame. I most certainly can get what I want. All I need is time and I've got plenty of it." He snarled with his mask inches from Kisame's face.

Kisame stayed silent. This was confusing and not to mention, downright frightening. Tobi never called him just, "Kisame." There was always a suffix… and he didn't snarl. But as quickly as it came, it passed by.

"Alright Kisame-san! Tobi will see if Zetsu is home! Bye-Bye!" and the little terd-bucket known as Tobi flew off the table and out of the room.

What the bloody hell?

Honestly, where did _that_ come from? The swordsman was confused and didn't like it. Tobi changing his demeanor so easily and radically was…not good. Something had to be going on. He could feel it; he just didn't know what it was.

Kisame only could hope he wasn't the only one who saw it; Tobi's persona changes. But he had faith in his fellow missing-nin. They weren't stupid; you had to be smart to survive in this world as a traitor. Besides, it looked like Itachi knew more than he let off, too. Kisame threw his head onto the table and sighed. This was completely ridiculous.

Unfortunately, after thinking about it for several minutes, Kisame didn't get anywhere as to why Tobi was being un-Tobi at random times. And not to mention, it was the oddest things that were setting him off. Like, Itachi having his real eyes displayed. Really, what was the big deal? It was bad for Itachi's vision to keep his Sharingan on all the time. And it wasn't a hard, long process to turn them back on… A blink of the eye, and anyone could be staring into the depths of trouble. Only an idiot would want to keep the Sharingan activated every waking hour. Kisame had known for a long time that Itachi's vision problems were due to the Sharingan, but once again, it wasn't his place to say anything. But when he finally walked into the compound with dark grey eyes, Kisame was relieved; Itachi finally accepted that the Sharingan wasn't necessary for every goddamned moment.

But, why did Tobi react in such opposition to Itachi's decision? It's not like Tobi had to deal with problems of the Sharingan, so what was the big deal? Sheesh, it's not like _he_ had to worry about it.

And what had he, Kisame, said, himself? That Tobi needed to grow up, because he couldn't always get what he wanted? The kid flipped out! Honestly, it wasn't that show-stopping of a comment; just telling him that he needed to mature some more.

But it certainly was odd what Tobi said afterwards: that he would get what he wanted, because he had more than enough time.

Kisame concluded the guy was odd. Or Schizophrenic. Or… just something. It wasn't healthy to change personalities like that. Even mood swings couldn't accomplish that.

Suddenly, Kisame realized Tobi wasn't the carefree, idiotic pansy which everyone took him for. No, there was something else to him and the sharkman didn't like it. Whatever; at least he now knew two triggers for Tobi's confusing behavior. But if he could avoid that creepy voice directed at him, Kisame would most certainly go that route.

"Kisame, something troubles you," came a voice from behind him.

"Holy shit, Itachi, where'd you come from?" Kisame jumped slightly, startled. He turned around to face his partner.

The dark-haired man didn't say a word, but simply glanced his grey eyes toward the door, causing Kisame to scowl.

"You know, I've been wondering, have you ever had a real conversation?" The swordsman said sarcastically, putting his head back on the table.

"Actually, they are becoming more and more of a usual occurrence." Itachi stated calmly, walking around to sit at one of the chairs.

Kisame looked up at him, once he had sat down. His partner had _sat down_? Usually Itachi just walked right out the kitchen without a word. Did this mean he was interested in conversation? When he thought about it, Itachi was dropping more and more tidbits of his opinion and musings lately… Casually, Kisame remarked, "Come to think of it, you are more talkative. What caused it?"

A smirk was the reply he got.

"Oh, shove your smirks up your ass." Kisame growled. "But really, since it's just the two of us, don't think I haven't noticed you acting different. You've been my partner for years, man. I may not speak fluent "Emotion of Concrete Surfaces" which your face likes to portray… but something's different about you."

Itachi didn't say a word.

"Ok, fine. But you're…not so solemn… anymore. Whatever it is, I hope it keeps you in a good mood, 'cause I certainly agree with it." Kisame drawled out.

"The situation is rather complicated, but it will work out in my favor." Itachi stated, mildly.

Kisame blinked, used to the Uchiha's cryptic comments. "Well, uh. I hope for the best? But I'm just saying that something's…changed you. I mean, we can all see that you're showing your real eyes. I know you better than anyone here and I know that keeping the Sharingan on kills your vision. But I also know the others don't know that little fact. And now you're trying to use your Kekkai Genkai as little as possible. What's the rationale behind that little statement?"

Itachi sat in silence for a few moments. Kisame knew his partner liked to take his time and waited patiently and finally, the answer came.

"Are you happy, Kisame?" he asked.

The sharkman sat for a moment, dumbfounded. "Uh. I don't know. Haven't thought about it in a while."

Itachi stared at him. Kisame knew what that look meant and continued speaking.

"I mean, I don't know. Really. We've just been doing the same thing over and over for years. It's become a kind of habit and routine. So, I wasn't aware missing-nin were supposed to enjoy themselves. I thought _living_ would be enough, I suppose." The blue-skinned man remarked, tapping his chin with a finger.

Grey eyes fixed themselves on his partner. Itachi realized what Kisame was saying… For people like him, who truly were unfaithful to their village, they had to run their entire lives. Life became a gamble every day, and the odds for your survival were constantly changing. But then Akatsuki had opened the doors for a privileged few and some sort of protection was instated.

Indeed, for a missing-nin, the small enjoyments of life weren't applicable anymore. The simple thought of staying alive for one more day was enough to satisfy yourself. Acknowledging Kisame's answer, Itachi remained quiet.

Kisame saw his partner mull things over in his head. Truly, Itachi's natural eyes were a lot more emotional than the crimson. But of course, over the years, Kisame had become accustomed to reading said scary eyes. Though, this made 'Operation: Search Itachi's Emotions' in his charcoal ones all the easier. With that thought, the swordsman asked his partner the question that had been bothering him for the past… while.

"Say, Itachi. What's up with Tobi?" he asked, casually.

Itachi blinked slowly, encouraging his partner to elaborate. Kisame understood the small gesture and followed his partner's request.

"You know, like, when he became all freaky, randomly?" he pressed. Itachi failed to make any signs of recognition, so Kisame elaborated more.

"Come on, you know what I'm talking about. When you came back not too long ago, with no scarlet eyes on your face." He huffed. Itachi blinked. Realizing that he wouldn't answer, Kisame tried a different tactic.

"And he did it again, you know. Not too long before you came here. I think something's up with him. Something's not right."

Itachi gracefully stood up from his chair and moved toward the door of the kitchen.

"Then keep an eye on him." And left.

* * *

It was dark. Again. Shikamaru started dragging his feet toward the Archives like he did two days ago. Luckily, tonight wasn't as loud and obnoxious and he was most certainly grateful. In fact, there weren't many people out here at all. The streets were a tranquil quiet and it was a relaxing atmosphere.

Shikamaru was wandering amongst the streets, hands in his pockets, until he could see the building in the distance, as well as the two Root Members at the door. With pleasure, he noted that they weren't the same pair he saw the other night; their heights and body build were different.

Perfect.

He slowly marched his way over to the doorway, where the two looked at him for a moment and nodded. Shikamaru then slouched over and entered the building. He walked down the flight of stairs until he reached the third floor- the Mission Scrolls Department and met the Root member on duty. Again, it was a different person than the one who had caught him in the Records library. Shikamaru waited for the moment it took for the man to recognize him and stand aside from the door. The shadow-user dragged himself inside.

He had been in this department a few times, like when the Hokage called for details of a particular mission, which she couldn't remember after drinking multitudes of sake.

OK, so he had been in here _more_ than just a few times. But, whatever.

Walking into the deserted department, a familiar sight greeted him. It was an incredibly large area, with a single aisle that led from the front to the back of the room. Shelves adorned both sides of the pathway, with many scrolls on each. There were also dates for each section listed accordingly.

Yes, _this_ department was at least organized. Knowing the older mission scrolls would be in the back, like before, Shikamaru dragged himself all the way to the end of the hallway, passing multitudes of shelves. He reached the back section and found the year he was looking for. There was a stack on either side of him; each stack was about fifteen feet long and had six shelves. Walking to the shelf with the correct month, he sighed.

Here was a shelf fifteen feet long and piled with scrolls. This would take a while.

Well, not really. Surely, the Elders weren't stupid enough to put Itachi's mission scroll in here, if they even had one. Why would they do such a thing? You would have to be an idiot to write it up and put it in here; surely, someone would find it be curious.

However, it wasn't just the Elders and Danzo in on the whole "Deal from Hell." The Sandaime was also included, and Shikamaru knew the Sandaime valued his village. Therefore, he may have written a scroll about that Massacre and placed it amongst the cluster of not-important mission scrolls. After all, who would go looking for mission scrolls over a decade old? _Apparently the same person who went to the back of the Records department, searching for the same bullshit_. Har Har.

Either way, Shikamaru bitterly realized he still had to check the entire shelf for a scroll the Sandaime may have written in relation to a particular rogue Uchiha with a fascination for pink-haired medics.

Well, shit.

And thus, Shikamaru started from one side of the shelf, pulling out the scrolls, seeing if the Sandaime had written one about Itachi's Massacre dealings.

And it was a long process. The Shadow-user had begun by pulling off one scroll, glancing at the contents, and placing it back on the shelf, right where it belonged. After all, he had to make it appear like no one had been back here and meddled with things. It took about two hours to go through each scroll, finding many to be escort missions, various D-Rank procedures, and an assortment of other boring things. But unfortunately, what he was looking for wasn't to be found.

Shikamaru sighed. At least he had come prepared for this situation- in case he didn't find anything. He reached into his back pouch- pulling out a roll of parchment. Unfurling the paper, Shikamaru glanced over the document he had forged, earlier in the night.

He had written a note specifically to Uchiha Itachi from the Sandaime, on parchment that was as old as the Massacre (just to be safe). On it, he had vaguely written of the Uchiha Clan's increasing uprising and the Elders' opinions on the situation. Then he had vaguely mentioned Uchiha Itachi somewhere in there doing a particular task…

Sure, it wasn't a straight up "Uchiha Itachi: Your mission is to kill your clan. Love, Konoha's Elderly Bastards." But it certainly was odd enough to plant suspicion, and easy enough to forecast the truth. So Shikamaru shoved the scroll somewhere on the shelf, under all the other scrolls. It didn't look out of place and Shikamaru was pleased.

With his work done, Shikamaru walked into the aisle, and began his trudge back to the front of the room. However, he stopped at one of the rows closest to the door, and picked out a scroll. He walked to the door, and opened it, coming face to face with the Root member.

"What happened, Nara? Fall asleep?" he asked. But at least he wasn't as much of a dick as the other one.

"Yeah, you know me. Anyway, the Hokage wanted me to get this for her." Shikamaru stated dully. He held up the scroll he had picked up.

The Root narrowed his eyes, which held a degree of suspicion. But in fact, he _had_ walked in on the Nara sleeping amidst the shelves on more than one occasion. So, he eyed the scroll and nodded at the shadow-user.

"Just bring it back within a week. You know the drill." He replied, monotone. Shikamaru took this as a "go ahead, I'm done talking with you," and he turned to head up the stairs. He then walked up the few flights to the ground level.

Reaching the street level, Shikamaru exited the building, while nodding at the two Root still on guard outside. He then began his slow trudge to the Hokage tower, where he would inform Tsunade that he had completed her task.

This really was a bother, but he guessed it was worth it.

* * *

He was irritated. Infuriated. Pissed. Angered. And thoroughly agitated.

Orochimaru laid in a cavern, accompanied by Kabuto, who was currently asleep. The two had been hiding for the past few years, trying to keep under the radar. After all, when there is no news about you, people tend to forget you even existed.

And that was exactly what Orochimaru was going for.

So for the past two years, Orochimaru had been training Sasuke's body; the one he was currently inhabiting. But when he had first achieved his dream, Orochimaru realized that there was a whole lot more to Sasuke's power than he realized.

He had no idea how to use the Sharingan or any of Sasuke's attacks and this was a _big_ problem. Even the most destructive weapon can be useless if the person in charge of it has no idea how to utilize it. And so, Orochimaru essentially had to start at the very beginning, and try to figure out how each of Sasuke's attacks worked.

But he wasn't a genius just in name. The Snake Sannin and accomplice had burrowed away for the past few years, training himself to learn about his new vessel. And, it had actually paid off.

Until a month ago.

The Sharingan wasn't reacting to Orochimaru the way he had expected. In fact, it was probably some form related to the Copy-nin's problem, where the Sharingan was having trouble adjusting to a non-Uchiha body. Sure, Sasuke was an Uchiha, but it was Orochimaru controlling the eyes. And they just didn't want to listen.

Which was irritatingly beyond belief.

The pale man also hadn't been able to turn off the Kekkai Genkai, which bothered him on some level. It left him drained and lethargic. Sure, he could have done what the Copy-nin had done, and covered the eyes when he didn't need them…but no. That wasn't an option. Orochimaru finally had what he wanted and he'd be damned if he hid it.

But after continuous and reckless use for two years, it started to happen. His vision… started going.

At first, Orochimaru didn't understand. He had only been using the Sharingan for two years… Itachi had his for much longer, used the Sharingan every damn day, and the Mangekyou occasionally, as well. Yet, he could still see? Orochimaru blamed that he wasn't an Uchiha and that was one of his reasons for the beginnings of blindness.

But… the Copy-nin could still see… Though, he kept his Sharingan covered, and thus, 'out of use.' The Snake man deemed himself too proud to cover his new weapons, and kept them continually activated in the open.

However, another issue was that he simply wasn't keeping the Sharingan activated and uncovered… he was _using_ it. Sure, Itachi walked around constantly with his red eyes gleaming, but he wasn't putting people under its use frequently. But in attempts to learn about the Sharingan and master it, Orochimaru had done just that. He had copied a few of Kabuto's techniques, which wasn't a big deal. But, he had engaged in battle with Kabuto regularly, thus constantly using the Sharingan for hours straight. Then doing it again, the next day.

It was putting a lot of wear and tear on Orochimaru's new eyes. And sure enough, after two years of consistently training, the Sannin had figured out Chidori and Sasuke's other techniques. But, the eyes started failing and _that_ was a problem.

And _that _was _not_ what he wanted.

But, that was no matter… there was a loophole in this whole dilemma.

Yes, Orochimaru had heard the stories, of how Uchiha Madara had attained a permanent, non-fading Sharingan. And so, the pale man smiled sinisterly.

It seemed he would have to make a trip back to his old Headquarters. Back to Akatsuki… the organization he had betrayed after he also betrayed his own village. He laughed. He certainly loved lying to people and deceiving them. But that was beside the point… He would have to visit his former compound.

Except he didn't know where to look, now. There was a high probability that they had moved their base to another location since his departure. This was a problem.

But Orochimaru realized that he didn't need to see the entirety of Akatsuki, anyway- they would probably rip his head off and demand to give them his ring back. What a bunch of fools.

No, he only needed to find Sasuke's brother; Uchiha Itachi. And there was more than one way to find him. And one idea in his mind was forming… Yes, it was time for the Sannin to leave the shadows; too much training would cause a bigger obstacle than need be. If events continued the way they were, the loophole would be harder to overcome.

After all, Itachi wouldn't just _willingly_ comply.

"Kabuto." He called.

The person several feet away from him stirred and lifted his head. "Yes, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto's soft voice asked.

"We're moving out in the morning."

Kabuto was surprised. They were leaving? But that could only mean one thing… "Orochimaru-sama… You have finally mastered Sasuke-kun's techniques?"

After a pause, the answer came. "No. In fact, I have hit a small snag in the process."

Kabuto pondered that statement for a few moments and came to a conclusion.

"You're experiencing problems with the Sharingan. I'm sorry I don't know how to heal them."

He really didn't know how… The Sharingan was filled with incredibly complex systems of chakra. Besides, Kabuto's knowledge of the anatomy of the eye had waned somewhat over the years. Both of them knew that prolonged use of the Sharingan would cause the downward spiral into darkness, though Orochimaru was confident this would not happen to him. After all, the Sharingan weren't being implanted into another container… it was just that someone else was in control. Unfortunately, the Uchiha's Bloodline Limit was intelligent and recognized Orochimaru's presence. Therefore, they didn't completely cooperate.

But the probably the biggest problem lied with Orochimaru. He had no handle on the Sharingan, no information on it whatsoever. If he did, perhaps he could have guided Kabuto in the right direction as to how to heal them.

Though in the long run, the silver-haired medic figured that it didn't 'matter. The Sharingan would have to be healed indefinitely- after every few uses. And while Orochimaru was forced to keep it activated and purposely kept them constantly uncovered and in use, blindness was sure to occur. There wasn't a loophole to that situation… Unless…

"You have found a way to stop your eyesight from deteriorating?" he asked.

Kabuto saw Sasuke's face curl into a twisted smirk.

"Yes, I believe I have." Orochimaru let out.

Kabuto joined him in smirking. "Where do you wish to go? I will follow you anywhere."

Sasuke's eyes closed for a moment, but opened them up, showing hauntingly red pupils. "We need to find Sasuke-kun's brother."

The medic flashed confusion on his face, so Orochimaru elaborated.

"When you have a defected item, you replace it, Kabuto." Orochimaru slithered out.

Understanding overcame Kabuto. "How to you plan to find him?"

The Sannin clucked his tongue.

"What are missing-nin concerned with, more than anyone else?"

"Getting caught, killed, something like that." Kabuto answered, easily. However, Orochimaru cocked his head.

"Now, answer even a step higher. Above all that, with _who_ are they concerned with most?" he said, slowly.

"I don't quite understand, my lord." Kabuto claimed, confusedly. This earned him a head shake.

"His home country, Kabuto. They _know_ him better than anyone."

Oh. Comprehension dawned on the medic. That made sense… After all, a missing-nin's original country would easily be most concerned with their retrieval. In this case, Uchiha Itachi spawned from Konohagakure. Compared to any other village, their knowledge of Itachi's abilities and activities would be far superior. It only made sense for the Uchiha to keep tabs on his home country- they were the biggest threat.

"What do you plan to do, Orochimaru-sama?" the silver-haired man asked. It was a fact that Sasuke's older brother refused to be found, unless he wanted to be. Surely, if he found out his arch-nemesis was coming for him, he'd become all the more elusive. "You know he is difficult to find, my lord."

Orochimaru clucked his tongue again. "I do, Kabuto. Uchiha Itachi is most adept at evading people and not wanting to be found."

Kabuto raised a questioning eyebrow. "So, how do you plan to find him Orochimaru-sama?"

Red eyes shined dangerously.

"Perhaps I should have rephrased my words."

Kabuto waited for his master to explain.

"Itachi-kun will not let us find him. Therefore, we must let him find _us_ instead." Orochimaru replied.

The medic's glasses glinted, as he nodded his head. "I see. Pray tell, how do you plan for him to come to you, so willingly?"

At this, Orochimaru cackled violently. His laughter echoed off the cavern walls, rumbling throughout the darkness.

"Kabuto, Kabuto. It's simple, oh so simple. You see, we're going to leave Uchiha Itachi a little present."

* * *

Oh ho ho...

Let me know what you think!

-Kiwi


	14. Lotus

Final Exams, ahoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters in Naruto. Said characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

There were five people within the Hokage's office right now, including the shadow-user.

"So… we have a problem." He drawled out. His head fell to the side while his eyes drooped down.

Kakashi, Tsunade, Sakura, and Itachi waited patiently for Shikamaru to elaborate. Of course, Kakashi was used to such dramatic pauses; he usually gave them. Itachi was no stranger to silence, as he was practically the God of Quiet. Sakura's own will-power to withstand silence was growing, courtesy of Itachi's conversations. Tsunade, however, was known for her impatience and let that fact be known to the occupants of the room.

"Spit it out, Nara. What's going on?" She growled, her amber eyes flashing dangerously. Itachi looked over at the Hokage, mentally laughing. No wonder Sakura was so brash to him, at times. It was entertaining to watch. He felt it always would be.

Of course, not one to be intimated by ferocious females, Shikamaru only sighed and slouched further down, pushing his hands into his pockets. After a few moments to put his thoughts together, he spoke.

"I just received a report from the northern border patrol. It appears that…something happened. Our shinobi were making their rounds, and spotted something unusual in the distance: smoke. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that three fires had taken place. If you were in the sky, looking down at the ground, they would look like the Uchiha's Bloodline Limit. No one was hurt, though."

At this, every head in the room turned toward Itachi, who only smirked, slightly. His Sharingan wasn't activated, so all they would see was the dark grey. Unfortunately, his inward musings were knocked out of him, upon realization of what the shadow-user was saying. With everyone staring at him, he explained the issue with this new… discovery.

"Orochimaru," Itachi began, quietly. "is finally coming out of the shadows. The three fires, shaped like tomoe can only mean one thing; he's coming for me."

Silence filled the room for several minutes. The blonde broke it first; she never was one for patience.

"Explain yourself, Uchiha. I don't care for cryptic comments." The Hokage questioned. Itachi nodded at her and shared his thoughts.

"If what we believe is correct, then Orochimaru has certainly taken over Sasuke's body. But, we know Sasuke had a wide range of attacks in his arsenal. Ergo, Orochimaru needed to train himself to get used to his new vessel. It would most certainly take a lot of time." The dark-haired man stated casually.

He waited for those words to sink in. From what he could tell, the Nara had already figured it out, as had Kakashi. The Nara was brilliant in his own respects and Kakashi was, as well. It seemed the two females weren't picking up on his hints so easily. But that wasn't a problem; one of them would break through in a moment, the other following shortly.

Itachi watched as the Hokage grumble at him, and restrain her hand from reaching toward a paperweight. Of course, she was annoyed at him leaving another cryptic statement and she obviously didn't feel like figuring things out for herself. Keeping laughter contained, Itachi watched the disciple of the blonde display a similar action; Sakura was clenching her fists softly and grinding her teeth slightly.

At last, the Tsunade's eyes lit up in understanding and turned to face Sakura. The young medic, however, was still thoroughly engrossed in deciphering the Uchiha's words.

Sakura was agitated. This was obnoxious. She had been solving the Uchicha's riddles and mind games for the past… well, it had been a long time. Was he ever going to give her a break? But after several short moments, her own eyes widened and glanced up.

Everyone was staring at her, mockingly.

Angered, Sakura lashed out. "Alright, alright. So it takes me awhile to figure something out. But at least I can arrive at the correct conclusion. Besides, you guys are prodigies and I _just_ have chakra control. And you know what? I bet I figured it out faster than what some other people in this village could do. I'm not stupid." She huffed out, crossing her arms.

Itachi smirked at her, narrowing his eyes. She had figured it out slower than everyone else in the room, but compared to other village inhabitants, Sakura was still well above average, intelligently and logically. He approved of her. Sakura's ability to keep up with his statements was just another thing that drew him to her.

"Then Sakura, how about you explain to everyone." He challenged. Sakura glared at him.

"Oh, fine. You insufferable prick." Sakura growled, her emerald eyes glittering. "Orochimaru's been working on figuring out how Sasuke's attacks work. This obviously includes the Sharingan, but more than likely, your Kekkai Genkai isn't reacting properly with him, like with Kakashi."

The silver-haired jounin crinkled his eye and rubbed the back of his head. "You know, I'm getting better with it. Yeah?"

Disregarding her old sensei, Sakura continued. "So, the Sharingan is being stupid, because it's Orochimaru and nothing goes right for him. He probably has been trying so ridiculously damn hard to master the Sharingan that it is speeding up the debilitation of his vision. In other words, he's going blind much faster than Itachi and he's furious."

Tsunade cut in. "He always was hasty. It wouldn't surprise me if he went out of his way to put the Sharingan under his control, despite the consequences. Stupid idiot probably didn't take care of himself. Of course, it only works out in our favor."

Itachi nodded at the blonde. "Undoubtedly, he must be experiencing the beginning symptoms. It will only exponentially spiral into his demise. However, Orochimaru knows this, along with another sensitive piece of information."

Silence filled the room. It appeared no one wanted to say the next few words.

The young kunoichi finally spoke. "He knows the only permanent way to stop the blindness, is to come after Itachi."

"Aa."

After moments of quiet, Shikamaru cast his voice into the conversation.

"This considerably works out in our favor. There is no doubt that Orochimaru has not completely mastered Sasuke's abilities. Not to mention, we know his attack is coming. His signal was clearly displayed for everyone to see, which shows that he's making the first move to his intermediate goal. Good thing Itachi explained all this 'Uchiha Massacre' and 'Sasuke-Takeover' crap to us." Shikamaru glanced to the Uchiha. "Otherwise, we'd probably think it was _you_ coming back to attack Konoha."

Itachi cast his eyes to the Hokage. "I would not do such a thing. However, until recent light of things, I can understand why you would house such notions."

The blonde sighed. "Yeah, yeah. But the bottom line is Orochimaru attacked Fire Country territory to probably get your attention, Uchiha. And there's no doubt that he's still got a grudge against Konoha. So we all need to be careful."

Kakashi threw a sideways glance at the Nara. "Aren't you excited, Shikamaru? Guess this means there'll be a whole lot of paperwork coming your way in the near future." He chortled.

Shikamaru, however, did _not_ think the Copy-nin was being funny and groaned.

"Why do you guys all insist on making such a mess out of everything?"

* * *

It was almost quiet. Like, when there's no sound in the area, except for a small hint of noise. Unfortunately, that noise usually ruins everything. The silence was supposed to be blissful, enchantingly and hauntingly delicate. To be away from the rest of the world, in the dark and quiet, was a privilege not everyone could experience.

It was a place to think and confide in one's self. It was a place to observe the surroundings in peace.

Pein sighed in relief. He and Konan were currently situated within the walls of a cave, standing calmly in the dark. Compared to the hectic atmosphere that was usually installed around Akatsuki Headquarters, this truly was bliss.

Usually Kisame was groaning or drinking, causing him to yell constantly. He would then frequently scream and yell at Tobi, who would be equally obnoxious. Zetsu would be creeping through the compound, and _no one_ liked that. And Itachi would normally ignore Kisame and Tobi, causing both of them to rise up their levels of irritating actions.

Basically, the conglomeration of the various Akatsuki members was irking Pein and Konan to a breaking point. And to think, that about half of their group was dead. It was a horrific thought to remember the past days of the organization, with members like Deidara and the cursing-mouth of Hidan present.

It was tiresome then. And it _still_ was now.

But, now, the two members had achieved a small sanctuary within the cavern walls. They were in a distant part of Rain country, that the others were not aware of. The darkness enveloped them in a soft blanket of black. The quiet was equally welcomed to them both, as well.

Except for that single thing which was disturbing the quiet.

Rustling and high-pitched calls echoed distantly from the roof of the cavern. Both shinobi looked up in that direction before turning back to look at each other.

"Konan." Pein's voiced rumbled.

"Mhmm." She answered.

"You've noticed it, correct?" he questioned.

Calm silence ensued, save for the squawking coming from the cavern roof.

"You are talking about Tobi." Konan stated. "Or should I say, Madara?"

"Indeed. He's not well and is getting worse."

"You and I both know this is to our advantage?" the woman asked.

A pause in the conversation ensued.

"Yes, but also, no." Pein replied, delicately.

It wouldn't be seen in the darkness, but Konan narrowed her eyes.

"Nagato?" she inquired.

"It is as you think, Konan." The orange-haired man called out.

"How much longer does he have?" the feminine voice asked. Her voice almost concealed the sadness she was trying to hold back.

Yelping came from above. Wings fluttered about frantically.

"Not a substantial amount. After Tobi is taken care of, it shouldn't be much longer than that." The man answered.

Through the dark, Konan cast her eyes to the cave floor.

"It is a pity, then. That after so many years, Nagato cannot achieve his goal. He put in a lot of hard work."

"This is indeed a sad thought, but Nagato has one more objective to complete before he is to ultimately fail."

There was a pause. Both the shinobi and kunoichi respected the darkness for the protection it offered and its solace. The fluttering continued to reverberate throughout the cave. High pitched squealing bounced off the walls, until finally reaching the pair on the cavern floor. Two pairs of eyes shot up to see through the darkness, again.

It was a bat, flying frantically and rabid, rebounding off the various cavern structures positioned on the roof. It was yelping, crying, and easily seen by both Akatsuki on the ground.

"Konan, what do you think of Tobi?" Pein asked.

She hesitated for a moment, before answering. "I think, he is a problem, which is rapidly becoming more of a hindrance. He has been acting strange for the past few months. I have heard him muttering to himself and witnessed his drastic personality changes."

Pein mulled her statements over. "Indeed, as have I. It seems that our dear Tobi has become conflicted in his true identity. Perhaps he is confused between his Tobi and Madara persona. Though it's probably more of a fact, rather than a theory."

"You believe he is losing touch with reality and going insane." Konan said, rather bluntly. "Well, I'm sure everyone has noticed it by now, but no one is willing to say anything about the matter."

"I have no doubt he is well beyond the point of no return, but there is an easy way to eliminate such issues."

"You already have a plan in mind?"

The Rinnegan glinted dangerously in the dark. The female didn't miss it.

"Konan, what do you do when there is a sick animal, which you cannot heal?" a masculine voice called out.

His partner didn't answer; she knew how it would end. Pein responded for her.

"You put it out of its misery."

The bat let out a final squeak and fell down to the floor, dead.

* * *

Konoha! Oh, sweet Konoha! How long had it been? So long, oh so long.

The green trees! The warm air, the familiar faces, and Ichiraku!

Naruto could barely contain himself. He was on his way back from an extended mission from Suna, and he could already smell Ramen.

Of course, Gaara had requested to talk with him about particular matters, which made Naruto stay longer than intended... But of course, it was _Gaara, _so he didn't mind at all staying longer to talk to a friend.

And if he was being honest with himself, Naruto wasn't in much of a hurry to get back to Konoha. Why? 'Cause right before he left, Sakura-chan and him had gotten into a huge fight, and honestly, he didn't feel like putting up with it right now. But he became homesick and knew he would have to come home at point. Not to mention, Hinata was there! And boy, did he miss her!

Really though, what was he supposed to do in his situation? Naruto easily had multiple things to complain about. Having a strong bijuu implanted to his body, which also destroyed the village and killed his dad in the process, being ostracized from society for the better part of his life, always being on the run because an evil organization is hunting you for the bijuu you didn't even ask for… well, those were just a _few_ to list.

Then Sakura had to tell him that Uchiha Itachi, the guy whose sole task was to capture him, was actually a good guy? And that he had been forced to kill his clan? Everything was a fraud?

Bullshit, to an extreme. And this was not helping his well-being.

And _then_, she told him Sasuke had been taken over by Orochimaru, despite not having any proof. Since when did she give up on a teammate like that? Just because someone keeps on the down low for an extended period of time, doesn't mean that their body was taken over by a creepily pale man with a fetish for little boys.

Jeez, where was the faith in your teammates? How could she just give up like that? Thank the gods that soon after their bicker, Tsunade baa-chan sent him out to Suna for a long period of time. Naruto easily needed the time to calm down and really think about what was happening.

And in the end, he still believed himself to be right. Everyone else was too blind to see.

It was just _unfathomable_ to just think Sasuke lost to Orochimaru. Just _impossible_. He was strong. He was determined. Yeah, he wanted revenge, and surely, he knew Orochimaru wanted his body as a vessel… But Sasuke was smart. He _had_ to know this and figure out a way to get around Orochimaru's doings. _He_ wanted to give his brother the final blow. _Not_ let the snake Sannin do the honor.

But no. Sakura went about and believed the last person he'd ever expect: Sasuke's older brother, Itachi.

The same Itachi who'd been coming after Naruto for the better part of his life. The same Itachi who killed his clan in a single night. The same goddamned prick who caused Sasuke to become so hell-bent on revenge! And ruin his life before it even started!

Naruto never had any family; he wasn't fortunate enough to enjoy that. His father gave his life to protect the village, which was a truly noble sacrifice, and in return, the village treated Naruto like dirt. And Naruto's mother… well. Naruto still didn't know that full story.

But the bottom line was, that Naruto certainly knew that you didn't go and murder your clan for selfish reasons, like to 'test your capacity.' That's not how you treated your family.

The blonde knew that every family had their…disagreements. No one was perfect and of course there would be arguments; it was unavoidable. But that wasn't an excuse to _kill_ them and psychologically ruin your younger brother for the rest of his life.

You just didn't _do_ that.

Of course, team seven was Naruto's first family; him, Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke. The four of them had their spats here and there, but they _got along_ and were efficient. Sure, they weren't brothers, sister, and father by blood, but Naruto cared for them all, and considered them kin. And that was good enough for him.

Besides, what kind of father read porn all day _and_ in front of his kids?

Naruto almost laughed at that thought.

Though, one day, Sasuke destroyed everything for them and left. The hyperactive ninja believed _that_ might be the hardest pain he ever felt until that point in his life. Of course, Sasuke didn't _die_ or anything; he just…left.

But, Naruto had never had any friends or family until then and Sasuke was the first one he lost. And it hurt.

Though not nearly as much as Ero-Sennin's death. Naruto honestly never considered Kakashi a father figure; Jiraiya was certainly more so. And oh god, had that hurt when he died.

And then, some time later, Sakura's parents passed on, and the remnants of team seven grew even closer. All they had was each other; no parents, no living family. Just each other to get through to the next day. They became each other's backbone to endure whatever hardships that came.

Naruto had already been accustomed to the loneliness, courtesy from his younger years, and did _not_ want to go back to what that was like. Instead, that was how he found Hinata and through her, he found happiness.

Sakura however, wasn't as lucky. Naruto watched as she struggled at first to figure things out after losing her parents. In the end, she grew closer to Tsunade and Kakashi as substitute parental figures… but she didn't grow close to anyone else. Sure she considered Naruto as her fox brother…

But that was all she allowed herself. Naruto had gone out of his way to make friends and gain trust of others. Hell, he even became Hinata's boyfriend, which helped an incredible amount. To have someone close to you and share intimate thoughts…

However, the blonde still believed that Sakura was just so busy she didn't have time for a boyfriend or some excuse like that. In fact, she didn't even want anything to _do_ with a guy if his name wasn't Naruto, Kakashi, Sai, or a fellow Rookie nine. Despite the fact that it would help her in the long run, the jinchuuriki was most certain that Sakura was keeping her inner thoughts to herself, and refusing to let them out. It was like she had up a barrier and not even he or Kakashi could get through it.

Until now.

Naruto gnashed his teeth. How could she? The one person she got herself attached to, is none other than his worst enemy? Hadn't the gods played enough tricks on him throughout his life? Surely, this was just rubbing salt in the wound.

Fate was really being cruel.

Still running toward Konoha, Naruto clenched his fists. To tell the truth, he still wasn't sure what he was going to do once he arrived. Sure, he was still mad at Sakura. Yes, she was well on her way to screwing up her life. And there was no doubt that she got involved with a _bad_ guy. Not to mention she gave up on a teammate.

Usually he would forgive her, if she had done something to upset him.. He was just that type of person; Naruto gave second chances. After all, he had received quite a few, and deemed himself worthy to give them out, as well. And she would forgive him, if he ever upset her.

But this time, he wasn't sure if he could do it. Sakura had just gone _too_ far. She had been easily manipulated by that treacherous man and was caught in his web of lies and deceit. How could she not see it? Naruto knew she was intelligent- top of the academy class. Surely, she wasn't so stupid to not see the trap she had wandered into. Willingly.

For being so smart, she sure was dumb.

In fact, _everyone_ was. Sakura said Kakashi and Tsunade baa-chan were in on the whole scheme, too. From what he remembered, they also believed the traitor's words. This really was utterly ridiculous.

Kakashi… was his friend. In fact, he was more like the creepy uncle you just let stand in the corner by himself at parties, because he's always up to no good. Nevertheless, Kakashi was a prodigy. Which by definition included words like "intelligent," "cautious," and "skilled." Sure, the copy-nin was skilled… but the other two traits weren't coming through in light of recent events.

He was their team leader, whose duty was to always look out for his teammates and underlings. He was precise, accurate, and always thinking ahead. This whole Itachi business must have screwed with his head and he wasn't thinking ahead, or correctly, at all.

And Tsunade baa-chan. She was the Hokage for goodness sake! Sure she drank a lot, but everyone had their own way to let steam off. Tsunade was supposed to have the village's best interests at hearts. Did she not see the mess she was making? Allowing a mass murderer to enter within the village walls? And what happened when Konoha found out, huh? Naruto was willing to bet that people would _not_ welcome the Uchiha back with open arms.

Naruto honestly believed that this whole business was a "What the Fuck?" kind of situation.

The people who he had thought he understood, and were in fact, his closest and most precious people, had turned their backs to him, claiming that he was acting unreasonable.

Clearly, this was fucked up. 'Cause they had it ass-backwards. The Copy-nin, the Hokage, and the legendary young medic of Konoha were being played in the palms of Uchiha Itachi.

There was no doubt that Akatsuki was probably behind this whole ordeal and Konoha was just sucker enough to fall prey to their plans. Why couldn't anyone else _see_ it? This was going to blow up in their faces when the time came and_ then_ he'd play the "I told you so" game.

Thank god Hinata hadn't fallen for this stupidity and trickery. Hell, the guy's name was "weasel." Sure he looks all cute and stuff, but Naruto knew weasels were territorial and aggressive. And smelled.

And to be honest, this whole situation stunk to high heavens.

Like his apartment, right now, no doubt. After all, it probably hadn't been cleaned in a while. Oh well.

Taking a deep breath, the blonde willed himself to stay calm. He may be mad at Kakashi, Tsunade, and Sakura, but he knew that if he didn't keep his anger in check, he'd lash out on Hinata, which was _not_ what he wanted.

Naruto would be lying to himself if he said he didn't miss his girl. She was such a sweetheart and devoted to him. There would no way to forgive himself if he ever hurt her.

Leaping over a few more trees, Naruto could see the outline of the village within view. _Oh, Ichiraku, you are so close, yet so far!_ With that thought, Naruto propelled himself closer to Konoha. The gates were in view and he slowed down to a walk upon approaching them. The chunnin on guard needed to identify him, before letting him within the village.

With a wave and a smile, Naruto was granted permission to enter Konoha and took a few steps inside. It was dark and lanterns lit up the pathways and street, creating a 'homey' feeling and atmosphere. Some people were scattered here and there and Naruto realized just how much he missed his home town.

Sure, it had been great to catch up with Gaara and all that junk, but Naruto needed to come home. Hinata was waiting for him. And of course, Suna was ridiculously hot and humid and their ramen was nowhere near as good as Konoha's. Such a problem!

Naruto gazed around the village and started walking in the direction of his apartment. Finally enjoying the warm night air, which was not blazing hot, nor humid, Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

He was about to sigh, when a voice called out to him; the Kyuubi deep within.

"Do you smell that, boy?" the dark, deep voice called out.

Naruto stalled.

_Uh oh_. This wasn't good. Whenever the Kyuubi wanted to share input into Naruto's life… it never ended well. Trying to ignore the beast within, Naruto kept walking home to his apartment.

"Don't ignore me, boy. I know you can smell it." The sinister voice cooed out.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Naruto mumbled to his other counterpart. "I really don't feel like dealing with you at the moment."

A loud growl resounded through Naruto's head, followed by an evil cackle.

"Boy, I think it would be good if you tried…" the Kyuubi trailed off.

Naruto gave into the Fox's demands. He stopped moving and stepped to the side of the streets, as to not block any other people walking around. Closing his eyes, Naruto inhaled the air softly.

It smelled like Konoha… The familiar scent of people, grass, and trees. A faint scent of Ichiraku drifted through the air… Naruto didn't understand. The aroma around him was just like before; what was the Kyuubi getting at?

Naruto took another deep breath and sighed. It still smelled the same. Naturally, his sense of smell was much keener than many would believe, courtesy of the demon fox within his stomach…

The blonde focused harder. He could detect the Yamanaka flower shop; its multiple flower scents flowing softly through the air. The hospital emitted a familiar aroma, of cleanliness and antibiotics.

Naruto chuckled, in fact, if he kept his mind at it, he found Tsunade's sake all the way up in the Hokage tower, specifically around the third floor window.

Weird. He didn't detect anything, still. Why was the fox being so persistant? Naruto was able to sniff the air and detect certain things, but he felt like the Kyuubi was asking for something that was just out of reach…

Besides, Kakashi usually did the sniffing in Team Kakashi, not him. Therefore, Naruto didn't really work too hard on his smell-skills.

Except now, the Kyuubi was demanding Naruto pay attention.

Why was he bothering with this? Naruto was tired, hungry, and just wanted to go home. He'd report to Tsunade in the morning…

"Boy, you're not looking hard enough." The deep voice rumbled through his head. "Focus back on where you last thought."

Where he last thought? Uh, food? Apartment? Hinata!

Something told Naruto that wasn't what the Kyuubi was going for.

Naruto inhaled deeply. Yes, the flower shop. The hospital. Haha, sake.

"Yes, yes. Stay there." It growled softly.

Stay there? As in, the Hokage Tower?

Jeez, when was the last time he tried this hard? Naruto fought the urge to rub his head in frustration. His sense of smell was _not_ his most trusted trait, though he really should work on it. Grumbling slightly, Naruto concentrated on the sake in the Hokage tower.

His nose perked up.

Baa-chan was there. So was Shikamaru… That guy always smelled like deer. Oh, Kakashi was there, too. He smelled like…_dog_. And musk.

Naruto sniffed again, focusing hard on the Hokage office.

Sakura's scent wafted through his nose. She always reminded him of the hospital, but with a feminine flavor. He couldn't describe it.

But all of those aromas were centered around the Hokage office. Like outside the window and in the hallways. Naruto's guess was that everyone took various methods to get into the office, which appeared to be blocked by some sort of barrier. He couldn't smell anything in the office per se, just the smells around it.

Which were _really_ fucking hard to pick up on. They were really faint- you really had to search for them. But there was something else underneath all the other scents?

This was impossible, which was really saying something, because a kyuubi nose wasn't picking up on it. Well, Naruto's kyuubi nose wasn't picking up on it easy… Shit, Naruto thought even the Inuzuka wouldn't pick up on the smell he was supposed to find. Or Kakashi. Well, maybe Kakashi. 'Cause he knows everything and _nothing_ gets by him.

"Dig deeper."

Huh? Holy crap, how much more did the fox want?

Naruto decided to move a little closer to the Hokage office, in hopes of a better chance of detecting the smell.

A deep breath.

All the familiar smells were there. Tsunade, Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Sakura…

Naruto's eyes lit up.

_There_. It was bearly detectable. Like a whisper in a rainstorm, you wouldn't find it, unless you were really, absolutely looking for it.

Which Naruto was. And he found it…

The scent of… _burnt wood_?

Where had he smelled that before? There wasn't a fireplace in Tsunade's office… And she didn't like candles.

Though, it didn't smell like just any firewood or candle wick. It was something different; something softer and hidden. Like you had to search for it. Like a person's natural scent.

"Yes, boy. That's it." It growled.

Burnt wood. Burnt wood…

Like, fire.

_Fire_.

Naruto's blue eyes started to speckle red. Keeping himself restrained so he didn't frighten the villagers, he practically ran to the Hokage tower.

To the Third Floor, where all hell would break lose. Where Tsunade, Kakashi, and Sakura were. And he had a bad feeling he knew what they were discussing. Now, he discovered that Shikamaru was in on the situation, too? This was too fucking much and he was not going to hold back. They better be ready when he came to them. Naruto was _not_ going place nice when he burst through the door…

He found it. The identity of that scent. That wretched, awful, unmistakable smell.

The Hokage Tower… reeked of Weasel.

* * *

Foxes, and Weasels, and pinkettes, oh my!

Let me know what you think!

-Kiwi


	15. Canopic Jar

My roommate's name is "Tobi." I find it hilarious.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters in Naruto. Said characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

It stunk. It smelled downright awful. The scent of Uchiha Itachi was filling Naruto's nose and there was nothing in this world that was going to stop him from destroying that bastard. Running through Konoha's streets, he focused unbelievably hard on the smell of burnt wood which was barely there. Around the Hokage tower.

Where Tsunade, Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Sakura would most likely be inside. God damnit all! And Naruto had a nagging feeling that someone else was there, too! Someone who had Sharingan eyes and a friggin' ponytail.

Naruto was trying to remain calm, he really was. But for some reason, it was proving to be tiring. Why was that? _Oh yeah. Because the murderer of my best friend's family is currently within a few minutes from me_. He withheld his eyes taking on a red tint, because the villagers would get frightened. The last thing he wanted was for younger children to be scared away.

But that didn't stop him from being pissed beyond belief. The Hokage tower was now within striking distance. Approaching the tower, Naruto hurriedly ran through the front door, and bounded up the two flights of stairs. As loud as he desired, he pounded on the door, which refused to move.

However, it did bang around and it certainly made for loud knocking. Naruto wasn't stupid. He knew there was a barrier around the office- he had already figured that out. The fact that he couldn't detect the scents inside were evidence of that. However, just because he couldn't listen to what was going on inside the room, didn't mean that the occupants couldn't hear what was _outside._

The fox brat was banking on this. It was worth a shot. He'd scream and yell until someone answered the door. Though, if after awhile, no one answered, he'd just sit and wait until their little scandalous meeting was over.

And heaven help them when they let him into their discussion.

Raising his fist, Naruto pounded on the sturdy wooden door.

Wailing, he cried, "You bastards, let me in! I know you're in there!"

When there was still refusal to answer the door, Naruto kept yelling.

"I swear, if you don't let me in, I'll scream what's going on in this office!"

Silence and the door remained steadfast.

His blood was boiling now. If they were just playing games, he'd never forgive any of them. At least before, he would consider it.

Naruto continued hammering the door with his fist.

* * *

"Aw, don't look so sad Shikamaru, I'll help you with the paperwork." Sakura offered.

Shikamaru only sighed and shifted his hands inside his pockets. "No need, I've taken care of most of it. It's the finale to this whole business that I'm worried about."

Sakura put on a confused face and looked around. "You guys going to tell me?" she asked, glancing at Tsunade and Kakashi.

"Nope."

"Nuh uh."

Sakura pouted. "Fine. I guess I'll find out sooner or lat-"

A loud knocking interrupted her. Startled, Sakura looked at her Shishou.

"I thought you said this was secure?" she growled.

Tsunade gave her a stern look. "How dumb do you take me for? We can hear them, but they can't hear us. Because if there was some emergency, I'd have to be able to know somehow. How bad would that look on my part if some Chuunin knocked on my door, yelling that the village was being invaded, but the barrier wouldn't let me hear them calling? The Elders would have my head for that!"

The pinkette would have nodded, but a voice broke through the barrier.

"You bastards, let me in! I know you're in there!" came a _very_ upset male voice.

The young kunoichi widened her eyes, while Tsunade groaned.

"Oh, fuck."

Kakashi laughed uneasily. "Hehe, Naruto's here. Um, this won't be good."

The Hokage only grimaced and bore out a "You think?"

However, Sakura looked over toward the stoic man in the room, who hadn't said a word in a while. Naruto knew he was here and this would not end well. There were so many things that could go wrong…

More pounding on the door.

"I swear, if you don't let me in, I'll scream what's going on in this office!"

Shikamaru let out a small, "Well, shit."

Ok, _a lot_ more things could go wrong at this point.

"Hokage," a deep voice interrupted the chaos. Several heads turned toward the Uchiha. "I think it would be best to let him in."

"Honestly, brat, I know that already. It's too early for the village to know about you yet and if he keeps screaming to high heavens, everyone from Konoha to Suna will know that you're here." Tsunade ground out. "Just hold on and I'll loosen the barrier."

Instantly, Sakura moved toward Itachi. She stationed herself between the door and the Uchiha; a small pink-haired barrier from the incoming hurricane that would soon barnstorm the office. And surely, the dark-haired male behind her was his target.

Hammering on the door ensued, until finally, the person on the other side realized the barrier had been dropped around the door. Naruto quickly threw the door open and charged into the office.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he yelled, running toward the Uchiha. He was soon restrained by Shikamaru, who had stepped on Naruto's shadow. Kakashi moved toward the door and shut it. The last thing they needed was some passer-byer to stop, peep around the corner, and see an Akatsuki member in their Hokage's office. As he realized how much trouble this was going to be, Kakashi leaned against the wall next to the door.

Naruto, however, had forgotten that there are indeed lights in the Tsunade's office, which can create shadows. He unsuccessfully tried scrambling toward the dark-haired man who so closely resembled his best friend.

"Shikamaru! Let me the fuck go!" Naruto struggled against the shadow-user's techniques.

"Nope. That would cause an unnecessary mess." The Nara drawled out. "Just stop trying, Naruto. You know you can't get out from my technique, Fox or not. I won't release you until this is all over."

Despite not being able to move, Naruto slanted his eyes back toward the Nara. "An unnecessary mess? Then what the hell do you call this little meeting of yours? All of Konoha's most trusted people are standing in the goddamned _Hokage tower_ with an Akatsuki member. But not just _any_ member, one that _came_ from Konoha and killed his whole clan!" the fox brat shrieked. "So tell me how _I'm_ making the mess here!"

No one seemed to utter a word after Naruto's rant. Instead, Tsunade sat at her desk, practically steaming in frustration, while Sakura still remained in between her best friend and her… well, she didn't know what to call her relationship with Uchiha Itachi. Either way, she stood in between them. Shikamaru only sighed in agitation, but it seemed Kakashi was the one who was determined to say something.

The sensei of both Naruto and Sakura leaned off the wall which was followed by his casual "I realize I'm lazy and moving slow, but I could still kick your ass" strut over in front of Naruto. There, he put his face inches away from Naruto's. One dark eye looked into the eyes of the other; there was no red speckling the cerulean, which he was worried about. _Good, he's still in control._

Kakashi's one eye drooped farther down, completing his lazy look, and he shoved his hands into his pockets. Leaning closer to Naruto's face, Kakashi spoke.

"Naruto." His scolding voice rumbled. "You're an idiot."

There was a silence, where everyone seemed dumbfounded by the Copy-Nin's statement. Of course, no one wanted to say anything, because it was true, but… it was still unexpected. Unfortunately, Naruto's mouth recovered first.

He blinked and started yelling again.

"Idiot? _I'm_ the idiot? What the hell are you talking about? I can easily list several reasons why _I'm_ the one who's sane around here. One, the Hokage is housing a criminal in the Hokage Tower! Two, you, Kakashi, who's supposed to be really, really smart, is also going along with this! Three, do you really think the villagers will be pleased with this? Four, Sakura's head over heels with the stupid jerk and-"

Tsunade, now slammed her fists into her desk, causing it to rattle. "Naruto! That's _enough!_"

It seemed the busty blonde's voice was the only one to shut him up. Naruto closed his mouth, and Kakashi stood up and moved away; he was blocking Tsunade's view of Naruto's face.

Sakura glanced towards Itachi, who only looked back at her. Taking the initiative, she put on a face that said, _Tsunade's mad. Stay quiet, if you know what's good for you_. Itachi merely nodded, signaling that he would not say a word.

"I swear, you're going to make me lose my mind, you dumb brat." Tsunade mumbled as she reached down to open a desk drawer. She pulled out a bottle of sake, to which every man shook their head quickly.

"Sakura, you don't have a choice." The Sannin then pulled out two cups and placed them on her desk. Sake was poured into both cups and Tsunade motioned for Sakura to come forward. The pinkette did as she was asked, and reached for her cup.

Both women threw the cup's contents quickly down their throats simultaneously.

Sakura couldn't help but think that it tasted good. When was the last time she had a drink? Tsunade looked a little less frazzled as well. Clearly, her Shishou knew her best.

Naruto refused to say a word. When the two women started drinking, they became downright _frightening_. How mean, for them to play that trump card, but that didn't mean he'd listen to this bullshit! …Though he'd certainly censor his words a little bit... Hell, even Kakashi slightly moved more toward the door. Shikamaru had always been around strong women, but still, Tsunade and Sakura were in their _own_ class. It seemed only the Uchiha was unfazed.

But that was because he didn't know any better. Stupid freak.

Tsunade poured another cup for herself and student.

Bringing the cup to her mouth, Sakura muttered to her teacher, "I swear, you're a bad influence on me."

"Eh, but we thrive on this stuff and your tolerance is high. Deal with it." Tsunade said, offhandedly.

After downing her sake, the Hokage opened up her mouth to speak to the other blonde in the room.

"Now, Naruto. You will shut your trap and listen to every goddamned word I say before voicing your opinion. So be quiet until I'm done or I ask you something!" she barked. "_Unless_ you _want_ me to continue drinking, which _never_ turns out well for you. And be sure to keep in mind that Sakura will join me. And you and Kakashi know firsthand what happens when she consumes alcohol." Tsunade added, menacingly. The pinkette leaned against the Hokage's desk. Both women clearly in Naruto's view.

The fox container gulped, but didn't say a word.

"Good." The Hokage acknowledged. "Now, brat. He's the deal. Sasuke, is taken over by Orochimaru-"

Naruto started to open his mouth.

"Hush, dumbass! I'm not done yet!" The Sannin yelled, pouring more drink into her cup, as a warning.

"Naruto, I suggest you not push her, anymore…" Kakashi hesitated to his former student.

The Uchiha, however, felt like laughing at these stunts. Really, this was too much. Like Teacher, like Student. Despite his increasing desire, Itachi _did_ know to keep his mouth shut and not laugh at the conversation. Cue the paperweight in the wall. It seemed Tsunade was going to keep that up as a warning to everyone who displeased her.

"Glad someone figured it out." The Hokage grumbled, glancing at the silver-haired male. "Granted, Kakashi, you've pissed me off a few times. Finally learned, have you?"

Kakashi didn't give a response.

"Good. Now, Naruto. You came from Suna. Did you hear anything in your travels?" Tsunade asked.

Naruto shook his head.

"Great, then I should tell you that someone set the trees in the northern border on fire. There were three fires in total, and don't worry, no one was hurt. However, they were in a configuration that was shaped like the Tomoe in the Sharingan."

"So how do you know _he_ didn't do it?" Naruto yelled, while staring angrily at the dark-haired man several feet from him. So much for silence.

Drinking another cup of sake, both Sakura and Tsunade growled.

"Naruto! Stay quiet!" Sakura threatened. However, the shadow-user put in his two cents to Naruto's remark.

"To answer your question," Shikamaru began. "The flames weren't black, so Itachi's Amaterasu wasn't used to create them. And before you say something to the extent of, 'so what? He can still use normal flames,' we know from past experiences that the Uchiha doesn't do any flashy stunts like that. Do you really think he'd set fire to trees in his _home country_? Where everyone can see it? That would be one hell of a calling card, Naruto."

Kakashi spoke up. "And before you question _that_, look at a map. Itachi reported back to Akatsuki Headquarters, in Rain country. Which is to the West of Konoha, not North."

"Whatever."

Both medics drank again. Kakashi narrowed his eyes. If Naruto didn't watch his mouth, Konoha would be in for a rough night. Not to mention the surprise of the complete destruction of some training grounds, which would be sure to happen. Kakashi recalled going to train in the morning, and seeing the ridiculous remodeling of the grounds. On more than one account. Courtesy of two medical kunoichi.

"Think before you speak, Naruto." Kakashi cautioned.

"Tch. I still don't believe it."

"Shishou, pour another cup." Sakura deadpanned. Tsunade agreed, as she reached for the bottle.

"Hokage, if I may?" a voice interrupted. Several pairs of eyes turned toward Uchiha Itachi. Tsunade looked at him for a moment, before mumbling something like "Go for it," which was followed by pouring another cup to her and her student.

Uchiha Itachi raised his arms and took off his Akatsuki cloak, leaving him in his black shirt and pants. He tossed the cloak carelessly to the side. It landed on the floor with a soft rustle.

He calmed walked in front of Naruto, where he stared into the blonde's eyes. They were still a deep blue; no evidence of the Kyuubi taking over still.

Naruto, however, stared into the Uchiha's eyes as well. And what he saw was not what he was expecting.

Dark grey looked back at him. No Sharingan was present on his face. This truly was weird…

"What's up with your not-so-red eyes, traitor?" he spat out.

"Naruto. You should know from Kakashi that prolonged use of the Sharingan enables vision problems, which leads to blindness. I have not used my Sharingan for quite some time."

"So what? I think you deserve to lose your stupid eyesight." Naruto huffed.

Itachi merely nodded his head. "I do agree with you. I've done many horrible things."

"Yeah, no shit." The jinchuuriki bit out. Itachi pulled his famous stunt of not saying anything for awhile. The office was quiet except for the soft grunts and struggles of Naruto trying to break free from the shadow technique. At last, Itachi opened his mouth.

"Naruto. How many times have I met you?" Itachi asked. Naruto put on a confused face.

"Uh, why? It's been several times that I've seen your stupid ass."

"And how many times have you been captured by me? To be brought back to Akatsuki?" the weasel questioned.

"Uh, I'd say… none."

The dark-haired man gave a 'do you see?' look to Naruto.

"You know, I guess you're right on that one." The blonde said, thoughtfully. "You can easily get in the village. You know where I am. And you've had multiple times to catch me. Yet you haven't done so yet, like you're stalling or something." Naruto's thoughtful mood didn't last. "But that still doesn't prove anything! This is probably one giant mind fuck you're playing!"

Kakashi rubbed his head silver head, in frustration. Sakura thrust her empty sake cup into her Shishou's face, signaling that it needed to be refilled. Now. Tsunade filled both their cups.

Itachi sighed and looked back to face Naruto.

"Naruto. I want you to listen. No one here is playing any game." He said, softly.

The blonde, however, forced out a "Yeah? Well, Sasuke would certainly think _you_ were. One long-ass game that needs to end soon."

Shaking his head, the Uchiha countered. "Sasuke is here in body, but no longer in mind. Do you understand this? Orochimaru took him over as his new vessel. He was the one who set the forest aflame… Because he needs me."

"That's because he's creepy!" the fox brat cried.

Kakashi snorted at Naruto's comment. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

The pony-tail man, unfazed, continued. "Orochimaru is most likely trying to learn Sasuke's techniques. He has probably encountered issues with the Sharingan. Most assuredly, Orochimaru has been using the Sharingan constantly, without rest, and the Kekkai Genkai is resisting, further deteriorating his sight."

"So what the fuck does _that_ mean, pretty boy?"

Itachi ignored that comment and Sakura spoke up.

"It means, dumbass, that Orochimaru is misusing the Sharingan, so he's going blind. And what's the one way to avoid that happening, Naruto?" She exasperated.

Silence from her teammate.

The copy-nin explained it for him. "Naruto, to prevent blindness, you can take your brother's eyes for yourself. Orochimaru wants Itachi's Sharingan because it would allow for indefinite Sharingan use."

"Oi. That would be troublesome, in other words." Shikamaru's voice slithered out.

"Here's to that," Tsunade barked. Sakura and her clinked glasses and drank. "Sakura, I do believe we just drank the bottle. We'll stop here," as she glanced over to the sake container.

Ignoring the women, the men continued.

Itachi once again faced Naruto.

"Listen, I know you don't believe me. But Orochimaru is coming here. He lit the trees aflame to bait me; he knows I don't like him. Naruto, you realize he tried to take over my body, before Sasuke's?"

"Aw, damn. That's too bad," Naruto commented, rather sarcastically.

"No, seriously, he did. There were several attempts during his stay in Akatsuki. But he's coming and most likely, he'll strike again in Fire Country, and I will meet him. If you come with me, you can see for yourself what state Sasuke is in. But if it is Orochimaru in Sasuke's body, I will not hesistate to kill him. I am sure you will not approve if that is the case, also."

"So what? Even if Orochimaru did take over Sasuke, what does that prove about the rest of your record, huh? Yeah, I'd be pissed if the creepy guy did take him over. Yes, it would be the hardest thing I'd have to do, killing my best friend. But that still doesn't clear you of your other sins!" Naruto bellowed.

Itachi shook his head once again. "I understand if you won't forgive me. But stopping Orochimaru is my main concern. Your capture was never in my intentions. Everything was all a ruse. I'm sure you've heard the story."

"Yeah, I heard it. Still don't believe it."

Shikamaru spoke up. "Naruto, you know Danzo's a twit and the elders are total idiots. You know they've never liked you and are always scheming about something. Is it really so hard to believe that the Itachi is the scapegoat for this whole matter? I honestly wouldn't put it past them."

"Itachi's suffered, too, Naruto. Is there any particular reason why you're so objected to his claims?" Sakura entered.

The blonde man thought about it for a moment. He really was a naturally forgiving person, considering his background. The village had been biased against him for most of his life, and he hated it. So why was he being biased against Uchiha Itachi?

Sakura watched her friend and could see the difficulty he was having, trying to locate a reason for his actions. But at long last, he answered.

"This is just so complicated. There's just so many layers to all this. How am I supposed to know what's going on? So basically, what we've been told for so long, is… a lie?" he muttered.

"You know," Tsunade began, putting on a sad smile. "Until you were twelve, did you know the Demon Fox was sealed inside of you? No. Hell, what age were you when you found out the Fourth was your father, eh? This village is able to keep secrets, brat. And by the way, I _never_ liked those elders. They're always yelling and fussing at everything I do wrong or meddling in my affairs. Naruto, I think you know well, that they are easily willing to sacrifice one life for many. So, Uchiha Itachi is similar to you in that respect."

"I just can't accept it." Naruto broke out.

"Naruto," rang Itachi's voice. "I should let you know, that Akatsuki should be disbanding soon. I am trying to plant seeds there to stop their further pursuits."

"Oh, I agree to that," Kakashi deadpanned, raising his hand in favor. Tsunade threw him a dangerous look. Kakashi put his hand down, quickly.

Sakura stopped leaning on the Hokage desk and walked over to her teammate.

"Naruto, Orochimaru is getting close. I'm going to see for myself what the deal is and I'm going with Itachi. Because if Orochimaru is there, Kabuto probably is, too. But the snake parading around with Sasuke's looks is not my battle, it's Itachi's." she explained.

"I will stop him, Naruto." Itachi said quietly. "I will not let any more happen to my brother."

After that, everything seemed to go quiet for a moment. Until the blonde stuck in Shikamaru's technique said a few words.

"No, you're wrong." He whispered. "You aren't going to kill him."

Everyone focused on the kyuubi container.

"I'll be the one that does it." He added, solemnly.

"No, Naruto. We'll _all_ be helping." Kakashi put in, shoving his hands into his pockets. Sakura smiled at her two boys. Her relief clearly projected from her face.

"Oi, I won't be." Shikamaru interjected. "I'm not going out there. That's all _you_ guys. I'll be helping from the sidelines. Waay too bothersome, otherwise."

Tsunade closed her hands together, entangling her fingers. Narrowing her eyes, she stared hard at Naruto.

"Naruto. If Shikamaru lets you go from his technique, you won't make a move to harm Uchiha Itachi? You'll wait until this whole Sasuke business is over and then you two to quarrel it out?" she pressed.

The other blonde mulled it over.

"Yeah, I'll wait. I promise." He gave in.

"Good. Now Kakashi, Shikamaru, Naruto, skedaddle. I have some things to discuss with Sakura and Itachi."

Shikamaru hesitantly pulled back from Naruto. But, Naruto, who always kept good on his word, turned on his heel and moved to the door without saying another word. Tsunade released the barrier enough for the three men to leave.

As soon as they left, the barrier was put back in place.

The blonde let out a sigh of relief.

"Whew, that was a handful." The Sannin breathed out.

"Shishou, I was really worried for about half that conversation…" Sakura released a breath as well, pushing her hands through her disheveled pink locks.

Both women then turned to stare at the one man left in the room.

Tsunade clucked her tongue.

"You know, for your sake, you'd better be right about all this. Otherwise, Naruto will not be easy on you at all. Me either."

"I am confident." He replied.

"Fantastic." The blonde commented, dryly. "Sakura, you're the best bet for going up against Kabuto, if he's there. I can't leave the office, so you take good care of him, you hear?"

"Hai, Shishou." The pinkette nodded. Her teacher did, as well.

"Hokage," a male voice broke through. "I have a request."

"Yes? What is it?" Amber eyes narrowed.

"If I am to go up against Orochimaru, who no doubt will have various techniques up his sleeve, I should not go at my half best, correct?" the weasel implicated.

"True, please continue. Though I think I know where this is going…" the blonde grumbled.

"Considering that I stand humbly before the two greatest medical ninjas in Konoha's history, I ask for my eyes to be looked at and healed, if possible." Itachi bowed his head.

Sakura quickly glanced between Itachi and Tsunade, before locking eyes with the latter. Giving her Shishou a nod, Tsunade did so in return.

"Your request has been accepted. Sakura will attend to your services. Now leave and head back to your Headquarters. When you return to Konoha, she'll take a look at you." The Sannin proclaimed.

"Thank you, both of you." Itachi bowed, and then about-faced to pick up his cloak. Tsunade nodded at him to dictate that the barrier was loosened, and Uchiha Itachi left through the window.

The elder woman turned to face her student.

"Oi, Sakura. You're about to have some intimate, personal time with him." Tsunade said with a wink. Sakura refused to say anything about that comment, despite the fact that she may have gotten herself voluntarily into trouble.

Both kunoichi turned their drinking glasses upside down, placing them forcefully on the table.

* * *

Zetsu was quiet by nature. He liked the solitude. He liked the dark. He liked watching people… It was fun to him. People-watching proved to be useful for oh so many reasons.

Which was why he was the one who was often sent out to gather information. It really worked out well in his favor. He would simply merge with the ground and disappear to wherever he wanted to go.

And right now, he felt he was at the right place, and the right time.

Zetsu sensed _something_ was going on the outskirts of Rain country… something called 'Tobi,' or perhaps 'Madara.' Yes, he knew of Tobi's true identity. In fact, he was the one who brought him to Akatsuki in as his underling.

"Yes, yes! Because throwing Uchiha Madara into the mix, along with Uchiha Itachi, would certainly prove fun to watch, hehe" one personality claimed.

"This is true, but surely, it is backfiring, look at him."

Through his lookout post, his head a few inches out of the ground, Zetsu could see Madara in the distance.

The guy was standing in a clearing, holding his head, and muttering to himself.

Golden eyes glinted dangerously.

"Oh, won't this be fun? Surely, this is hilarious. Shall we report back to Headquarters?" one persona chided.

"No. We'll stay here and watch for a while longer. Then report back."

Zetsu didn't deny it. His subordinate had been acting strangely over the past few months. Everyone was sure to have noticed it, but no one said a word. At first, it started out as voice changes, then it evolved into complete personality shifts. Apparently, now the two sides were fighting with each other.

Tobi/Madara was shaking his head and whispering to himself.

"Amusing, isn't it?" Zetsu's playful half asked.

It was a pain, the serious half, noted. To have two complete personalities in the same body, which were complete opposites. Indeed, his white half, was more playful and less cautious, while the dark was more intelligent and grounded.

In a way, he would relate to Tobi/ Madara, but it still seemed like a completely different case.

The Akatsuki member in front of Zetsu, was having psychological problems. Indeed, there were two people in the same body, like Zetsu, but the situation was different.

Zetsu knew _he_ could separate one half from other at any time, and still survive. And true, he would often contradict himself, but he still managed to work without much problem. Zetsu was still _sane_.

The man in front of him, was not.

Madara was originally Madara. Then swapped over and put on the charade to be Tobi. Then would go back and forth between the two. Zetsu wasn't stupid. He knew Itachi figured out the secret behind Tobi. And Madara used Tobi as a farce to command over Pein. Pein knew, as well.

It only made sense that after several years of going back and forth between personas, that they would eventually merge… and not like each other.

Whatever, it wasn't _his_ problem. If Zetsu got pissed at one half, all they had to do was separate. Problem solved.

Looking back over at the confused Akatsuki member in the distance, the plant man saw him suddenly crouch down and start rocking back and forth.

"Oh, he won't be able to keep this up for much longer. That should be entertaining to watch when he completely loses it." The playful side giggled.

"The time will come soon, I agree. But it won't turn out in his favor at all."

This really was pitiful. Akatsuki was supposed to be an elite organization of the most deadly missing-nin in several different countries, if not the whole ninja realm. Sure, some of them got killed, but they certainly died a noble death.

But here was one of them. Tobi. Madara. Rumored to live for decades upon decades. Able to warp through space and time. Possessing the Mangekyou Sharingan and remarkable intelligence. Seriously, he was regarded as one of the most gifted shinobi to exist.

And here he was, reduced to a sad mess, wallowing in his confused misery.

What an unfortunate state to befall one of the last living Uchiha.

"Ahaha, Uchiha. Speaking of which…" the white Zetsu gleamed.

This was also a remark to note.

The other Uchiha in Akatsuki, Itachi, was behaving interestingly.

He would disappear for days on end, though this was usual for him. However, the noteworthy aspect was that he would return, with a particular scent on his person.

Like, a woman.

"Hehe, it's about time that happened."

True, Uchiha Itachi was incredibly handsome, Zetsu admitted. It was a shame that he was never interested in the opposite sex- a complete waste, deemed by Kisame. But, recently, he had the fragrant aroma of a woman.

Zetsu didn't want to spy on him though. That was Itachi's business. And besides, he was far less intimidating since the scent started wafting around. So, by all means, Itachi could do what and who he wanted.

Tobi started shrieking, which brought Zetsu out of his tangent thoughts.

"I think we should leave. This is enough." The dark side, replied seriously.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm hungry, too."

Zetsu melted into the ground, and sped off in a direction, searching for food. Tobi/Madara would have to suffer on his own for the time being.

* * *

I think I need some ice-cream after writing this. Woo.

Let me know what you think!  
-Kiwi


	16. Isis

_Whew_.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any characters in Naruto. Naruto and said characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Kisame couldn't help it. As the Akatsuki sat gathered around their kitchen table, he couldn't stop one particular thought running through his mind.

_Man, we sure are one hell of a dysfunctional family…_

Who could deny it? There was a bright, orange-haired guy with multiple, freaky piercings all over him. There were seven in his ears, some in his nose, and who_ knows_ where else. Pein, oblivious to Kisames' musings, was currently seated at the head of the table, in his usual seat.

To Pein's left, was the single female in the group, Konan. The really pale woman who hardly said a word and equally flamboyant hair: blue. Kisame really didn't know what to think about her… except that she had a crazy fascination about paper.

On Pein's other side, his right, was Zetsu. And that was one _ugly_ dude. The guy was half plant, one quarter black, and one quarter white. There was probably some ridiculous identity crisis going on over there…

To Konan's left was Itachi. Cool as you please, the stoic, handsome male seemed to not fit in here at all. In fact, he and Konan were probably the least visibly…challenged out of all of them. As in, not as many people would run away from them at first sight.

Across the table from Itachi, and next to Zetsu, _should_ have been the ever-plucky Tobi, but he was nowhere to be found… and Kisame had a sneaky feeling his absence was the point of this meeting.

Kisame was seated across from Pein, at the other table end, because he was so massive and needed the leg room. The table had originally been larger, but due to lack of…members… the kitchen table downsized. After all, there was no point in having so many empty seats and it wasn't like the Akatsuki were going to be expecting guests anytime soon.

Back to his previous thoughts, Kisame admitted that he too, was not pleasant to look at. He was monstrously tall and hell, he looked like a shark. Talk about a sight to scare children.

So what to that bring him to? A summary of Akatsuki's members: A piercing fanatic, a blue-haired woman with a paper fetish, and a cannibalistic plant man with a face like an oreo cookie. Then, a guy who looked incredibly normal and charming, but was nothing like that and finally, a really tall guy with a creepy smile and resembled something that should be living in a lake.

But of course, don't forget about the effervescent, man-boy who thought Halloween was every goddamned day.

Truly, Akatsuki was a conglomeration of different peoples and personalities. And that wasn't even counting when the foul-mouthed Hidan, money-loving Kakuzu, explosive-obsessed Deidara, and Sasori, who spent waaay too much time alone with his puppets, had been involved. But they were dead, so whatever. The Akatsuki now, despite fewer members, were still weird.

Kisame mentally sighed and looked up. He found cold grey eyes staring intently at him; apparently his wandering thoughts had been caught. He saw the scolding in Itachi's eyes for neglecting to listen to the conversation at the table.

As if to confirm his suspicions, Pein spoke to the shark.

"Kisame, were you paying attention to what I was saying? It is of utmost importance." He asked, coldly.

The swordsman stayed quiet; it was better to not say anything. Besides, Pein already knew the answer to that question.

"You do know," Zetsu cackled. "What happens to those who don't pay attention, Kisame?"

Glaring at the reject-venus-flytrap man, Kisame bit out, "Oh shut up, Zetsu. You know Hidan and Deidara did a lot worse at these meetings than I am now. Blowing up the refrigerator and not paying attention aren't quite in the same category, after all." Following his words, Kisame crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

After a moment of silence, Pein began talking.

"As I was saying before, now that everyone is listening," he drawled. "Tobi is acting unreasonable in this organization. Does everyone agree to this?"

The other members at the table nodded.

Blinking, the orange-haired man continued. "Good. Then I have some news to inform you all."

Several pairs of eyes narrowed at that statement.

Itachi waited patiently for Pein to deliver his next few words. Surely, these next couple sentences would dramatically change his life, as it would everyone else's at the table. Barely restraining himself to performing childish moves of impatience, he breathed slowly to pass the time.

Kisame, however, was tapping his foot quickly in anxiety, but thankfully not too loudly; these were the very immature maneuvers Itachi was trying so hard to avoid.

With everyone's attention now fixated on him, Leader announced his speech.

"I have decided to disband Akatsuki." He stated.

Silence hovered over the kitchen table. Kisame broke it first.

"What? You're serious?" the sharkman proclaimed.

A nod proved to agree with the statement.

In an attempt to have 'loyalty' to Akatsuki until the very end, Itachi asked his own question.

"What are the reasons to this declaration, if I may ask?" he inquired, delicately.

Sighing, Konan answered him.

"We have been capturing bijuu for several years, but it seems our goal is out of reach. We are certain that the Kyuubi will remain steadfast within Konoha's hands. Also, we have lost too many members."

"But those can't be the only reasons why, Konan." Kisame pressed.

The woman glanced to the man beside her. An unasked question displayed in her eyes.

Acknowledging her respect for his personal information, Pein allowed himself to be honest with his fellow Akatsuki members. They had remained with him for several years now, and they deserved to know the truth. After all, in the near future, it wouldn't be a problem, anyway.

"Listen, all of you." The pierced man, started. "Pein is my name, but I am not alone. There are several more of me, but with different variations. Each of us is controlled by a single man; Nagato. Nagato has been struggling to keep alive for quite some time and his end is near. When that time comes, I will no longer be here."

Itachi didn't lie. He had expected that information, and there was no doubt that Konan had known it as well. Zetsu probably didn't care too much; when Nagato and Pein died, he'd have food to eat. However, it seemed Kisame was always last to learn about things and was completely dumbfounded by this revelation.

"Wait, so you're saying, you've been leading us the whole time, but you're not even the top guy?" the Mist-nin blurted out.

Itachi faintly acknowledged that there was a good chance Kisame didn't know about Tobi's real personality either. Glancing to Pein, he waited.

Pein took a short breath. "Yes, Kisame, it is as you say. But you won't have to worry about that anymore. Akatsuki is finished at the end of today."

"Whoa, whoa. And what are we supposed to do after that? It's not like I can go back to my home country! Where am I gonna go?" the blue-skinned man exclaimed. His strong arms extended out and up.

Itachi suddenly realized how lucky he was, in that respect. Things were looking up for his case; going back to Konoha, reinstated as a loyal shinobi, he'd go back to work, and… _Sakura_. But Kisame wasn't so fortunate, and who knew what would happen to the others?

"I don't mind," Zetsu answered, seriously. "I have no trouble evading people and there are all types of food out there..."

"That's easy for you to say," Kisame growled at him. "You can travel underground! I stand out; I'm over six feet tall and _blue_!"

Zetsu's white side chided him, "That's not my problem, Kisame."

Huffing at him, Kisame turned his glare to his partner. "Oi, Itachi. What are you going to do? It's not like you can just waltz back into your home village so easily, right?"

Keeping his smirk hidden at Kisame's statement and that he actually _had_ gone into Konoha recently- and often, Itachi weaseled out a half-truth.

"I have several personal matters to take care of." He stated, rather blandly.

"Ah, right," Kisame nodded. "Like your missing brother and his teacher. Orochimaru always _was_ a bastard. Have fun with that."

Itachi glanced to the Orange and Blue haired pair.

"I take it you both will stay in Rain?" he asked out of curiosity. They nodded.

Kisame shoved his elbow on the table, forcing his chin into his hand. "Great, so I don't have a place to go? Well, I guess I'll just traverse the countryside for the rest of my days, then." He claimed bitterly.

The shark grumbled for some time, until his opened his mouth again.

"Hey, what's going to happen to the brat?" he asked innocently.

Pein's eyes darkened. "Do not worry. Konan and I shall take care of him."

Several pairs of eyes looked over to Pein's, in question, but each looked away after a few moments. Itachi didn't care, really. Madara really wasn't a threat to him anymore. Nevertheless, he was a sick animal that needed to be put down. If Pein and Konan wished to do that particular job, then so be it.

Konan spoke after the silence, "I suggest you all pack up your things; we will destroy the base in the morning. Move out before then; we cannot leave evidence that Headquarters was once here."

Nodding to acknowledge her, Itachi stood up and moved to the Kitchen door. With his back to the group, he let a small smile slip out as he exited.

Kisame opened his mouth one more time. "So…" he began awkwardly. "Can I still keep the cloak?"

* * *

Tsunade eyed the man before her, standing humbly in her office. His hair was dark and held back in a pony-tail. His charcoal grey eyes stared intently into her amber ones, asking for her words. He wore no black cloak with red clouds sprinkled on it. Instead, the nin was in a tight black shirt and semi-baggy black pants tied with a belt. The man wore a forehead protector with a line slashed through the leaf symbol upon his brow, which blared angrily on the dark blue cloth.

"Speak, Uchiha." Tsunade grumbled.

Without missing a beat, because he had thought the entire conversation out on the way back from Rain after moving out his things, Itachi answered her.

"Akatsuki has discontinued, as of tonight. The base will be destroyed in the morning. Each member left to go his or her own path of life. Pein and Konan have volunteered to deal with Madara." The weasel responded.

The Hokage mulled over his words for quite some time, until deciding to her own question.

"Is there any reason behind this disablement?" she questioned.

Nodding, he explained. "Naruto has proven to be too stubborn for capture. Also, Pein is being controlled behind the scenes by another person. Said person is quickly dying and will not live for much longer. I believe the latter is the main reason."

Rubbing her chin, Tsunade focused on the Uchiha's statements, until she felt herself ready to look the man in the eyes.

"You have cut all ties with Akatsuki?"

He nodded.

"You shall be faithful to Konoha for the remainder of your life?"

"I have always been so, Hokage." Itachi bowed his head.

"You will not hurt a fellow Konoha nin," Tsunade asked sternly.

"I shall not, Hokage." Itachi responded obediently.

"That includes Sakura, Uchiha. On many levels." She added menacingly.

The Uchiha lifted his head and took a few steps closer to the Sannin. Staring her straight into her amber eyes, he declared, "I will not hurt Sakura. I will treat her like she deserves. You have my word."

The blonde eyed the man in front of her. His dark eyes held no betrayal and his words did not waver. Finally, she reached into her desk drawer and retrieved an item.

Throwing it at the Uchiha heir, he caught it and stared at the article.

It was a Konoha headband, with no slash through the center. Holding it delicately in his hands, he quickly looked up to the woman in front of him.

Seeing his surprised face turn into one of relaxation and long awaited happiness (which he would never admit to, but Tsunade could read it in his eyes), she saw his mouth turn up on the corners.

"Now, go, Itachi. I believe you and Sakura have some things to finish up before the upcoming fight."

Nodding at her, Itachi held the hitae-ite closely in his hands, as if he were scared he would break it. He finally tucked it into his hip pack, and bowed again.

"Thank you, Hokage." He whispered.

Standing straight up, onyx met amber.

"Welcome back to Konoha, Uchiha Itachi." Tsunade smiled.

* * *

Who knew that Human anatomy could be so interesting? Sakura was currently sitting on her couch, with a volume about the Human Body nestled in her lap. She was alone in her apartment, thoroughly engrossed with learning about the kidneys. It had been quite some time since she had read the book and it was always good to reread it every once in a while. After all, sometimes it was beneficial to review such things!

The other night had scared her something terrible. When Naruto had barnstormed the office, and screamed and yelled, she thought things would turn out not in their favor. But soon, Naruto grudgingly agreed to go with her, Itachi, and Kakashi the next time Orochimaru decided to play with Katon jutsu.

Although, her fox brother still wasn't talking to her… Right now he was just ignoring her. But that was still an improvement compared to when he was purely _avoiding_ his rosette teammate. At least Naruto would stay in the same room and not walk out automatically after finding pink in the vicinity.

'Hurray' for progress, she thought dryly.

But the best she could do was study up before going against Kabuto. The bastard was pretty knowledgeable when it came to medical techniques and Sakura needed any advantage she could get. She would _not_ be weak in the upcoming battle. She would _not_ rely on Kakashi to save her. Or Naruto. And mostly, Itachi. She simply refused to be the damsel in distress.

Which was why she was now reading about the diaphragm. _Oh, this is just _so_ fascinating_, her inner-self claimed, sarcastically. Telling her other self that it was necessary to look over such things, Sakura continued reading.

However, a knock at her door interrupted her concentration, causing her to lift her head quickly to the front of her apartment.

The knock came again; a very polite one. Curious, Sakura marked her spot in the volume and shut the book. Carefully putting it on the sofa, she then stood up and walked barefoot to the door.

The person on the other side leaked their chakra out and Sakura immediately recognized the person. Unlocking the door and throwing it open she almost yelled at the man on the other side of the wood.

Seeing the familiar face only fueled her anger, but she kept it to a forced whisper so her neighbors would not suspect anything foul.

"What are you doing here!" she bit out, but softly. "You stood outside my door! Do you even _bother_ to think that someone could have seen you?"

She was met with his smirking face, which meant that he had indeed, scanned the area before standing so vulnerable upon her doorstep.

Grumbling, she forced out "Well, at least you knocked this time…"

Retreating to the couch, she sat down and quickly moved the Anatomy Volume to the floor. Motioning for him to sit down with her, Sakura scooted to one side of the couch. Itachi sat on the other. The pinkette twisted sideways, brought her feet up on top of the couch and sat Indian style on the cushion; this way she was able to lean against the arm rest and face Itachi.

Itachi, however, stretched his legs out in front of him and slightly turned his body to face the woman next to him.

Sakura took the time to take in his appearance. One thing stood out heavily.

"Where's your cloak?" she asked, simply.

Turning the corners of his mouth up, he offered, "I won't be needing that anymore. I have disposed of it."

The medic quickly understood what that meant. "So… Akatsuki's over with?" He nodded. Sakura smiled in return for his information. How could one not smile at such news?

"So, I take it you told Tsunade and that's why you're here… Your eyes are all kinds of damaged." It really wasn't' much of a deduction to arrive at.

"If you would be so kind as to do so… It would be greatly appreciated. I haven't used the Sharingan for quite a while, if I may say so." He divulged.

Smiling, "Well, that's good. I'm glad you're trying to avoid it. Here," she said as she got up off the couch. "How about you lay down on the floor? That'll make it easier for me to change angles and positions in case I need to."

"As you wish," Itachi agreed. He raised himself from the couch and laid himself on the carpet a few feet from the couch, to give her space, should she require it.

Kneeling behind his head, Sakura unknotted the slashed-through headband on his forehead.

"Sorry, but that needed to come off." She said clinically.

"It is no problem at all, Sakura. Just do as you must." Itachi closed his eyes and felt her hands press against either side of his brow.

"I'll admit that I have no idea how to heal this, so I'm going to need your help, alright? I've tried fixing Kakashi's, but with no prior knowledge, I haven't gotten anywhere. Your clan kept their secrets well." The pinkette discerned. Itachi disregarded that last comment.

"That is fine. You will find three chakra pathways to each eye, all hidden within the optic nerve. One for normal sight, another for the basic Sharingan, and the last is dedicated for the Mangekyou."

Staring down at him, Sakura let out a sigh which had the distinct flavor of 'oh, _that's_ what's going on?'

"Unfortunately, you cannot heal them all simultaneously." Itachi continued. "You must repair each pathway by itself, before moving to the next in a particular succession. First, you must heal the optic nerve itself, then the normal sight pathway, followed by the Sharingan, and lastly the Mangekyou. By going out of order, you will not heed any results. The efforts of your healing will not be displayed until your work is complete."

Nodding at his words, Sakura put her own ideas in. "No doubt, Kabuto immediately started with the optic nerve and quickly tried to heal the Sharingan level, instead of the first pathway. Wow, this really is a step-by-step process, isn't it? Anything else you'd like to tell me?" she added, thoughtfully.

"Yes. I shall tell you where each pathway lies within the nerve. It can be quite difficult to determine which is which and where each is located, unless you have lived with them for your entire life…" the weasel slipped in, rather smugly. Too smugly for Sakura's tastes.

"You know, not everyone is blessed with a Bloodline limit." She retorted.

"I am aware, but despite your lack of clan abilities, you certainly have a particular footing in the shinobi realm. You are strong, Sakura. Do not look down upon yourself. You undoubtedly can see how important a task you are about to perform?" he soothed.

Sakura blinked at his words. She wasn't sure what to think about them, but she figured they were a compliment, so she'd just take that and run with it.

"Uh, thanks," she slipped out. Taking a deep breath, she spoke again. "Ok, I'm about to begin. You'll feel my chakra enter your head, and it'll feel a little warm and odd. Don't fight it, alright? I can find the nerve and I'll start to repair it. Here I go."

Sakura saw the man on the floor close his eyes, so she did the same. The medic then focused some of her chakra to her hands, making them faintly glow with a light green color. Sending her chakra into Itachi's brow, she immediately found the optic nerve.

Her chakra detected the wear and tear of said nerve quite easily as well. It was frayed and damaged in multiple places, if not most of it.

"Holy shit, Itachi. This is a total mess! You're _so_ lucky I can fix this!" the pinkette shrieked. She felt his skin tug under her hands. Without looking, she knew he had quirked an eyebrow. She took the lifting as a way of questioning her statement, so the pink-haired woman dignified his inquiry.

"The eye is a delicate part of the body. The optic nerve is small and intricate, and not every medic can repair it perfectly. Of course," she decided to take a leaf out of Itachi's 'Book of Gloating…' "After having such incredibly chakra control and tutelage until one of the legendary Sannin, who specialized in medical abilities, this is easy for me. Your eyes are in the best care."

Sakura felt a smirk under her hands form. Psh, she better get a huge 'thank you' out of this. In the meantime, she continued fixing the nerve, mending the ridiculous amount of damage on it.

"I hope you realize how bad this has gotten. You'd better not use your abilities so carelessly after I fix all this mess." The medic bit out.

"Sakura, have you forgotten that I have not been using the Sharingan, lately?" the smirk grew wider under her hands.

"Oh, shove it." She huffed.

After several more minutes of silence, Sakura completed her work on the optic nerve. She felt her chakra traveling through it, but hadn't detected any of Itachi's chakra pathways…

"Hey, uh, I don't feel any pathway, let alone three of them." She grumbled.

"Depending on what state my eyes are in, _that_ is the pathway displayed; only one can be found at a time. Since either of my Sharingan is inactive, the normal sight chakra stream can be found. Look closely at the very bottom of the nerve; the first pathway is very small." The weasel calmly replied. He felt her moving the chakra around behind his eyes, until she was close to the pathway. "Yes, it's right there, do you see it?"

Sakura located it after hunting for a few moments and grunted a 'yes.' If he hadn't told her where to look, she probably would have overlooked it.

"You, know, this is in pretty bad shape, too. How bad is your vision, anyway?" the pinkette asked, as she began working on the delicate chakra path.

"It is less than satisfactory. Images are vague and undefined. Everything is blurred." The dark-haired man revealed.

"I'd expect nothing less form this much damage… This is utterly ridiculous." Sakura sighed. Slowly, the injuries were being healed…

"Is this tiring you? Is it too much work?" the man lying on the floor suddenly asked as he felt her hands move off his head.

Taking a moment to wipe sweat from her brow, Sakura answered. "Let's just say, it's going to be a long night. But yeah, this is a lot of work. Don't worry, though; I can do it. Unfortunately, I think as I progress to each pathway, it'll be in a worse condition than the one before." She placed her hands back on either side of the Uchiha's head.

"Aa. You can take a break if you need to." Itachi replied, modestly. Sakura was quick to retort.

"Hell no. I can do this; the most that I'll have to do is shift around. I can't stay in this position the whole time. Speaking of which, let me change it up." She moved back and crossed her legs in front of her. Scooting forward, she nudged against Itachi's head and he lifted his head. She kept moving forward and he placed his head down on her lap.

Sakura closed her eyes and mindlessly kept repairing the first pathway, but the feel of the charcoal hair on her legs did _not_ go unnoticed. Trying to ignore the fact that his hair was _really_ soft, she continued sending her chakra to the worn down pathway.

Moments of silence passed, except for their heavy breathing. The balance of the soft sounds of inhaling and exhaling created an intimate atmosphere within Sakura's apartment. Time carried by slowly as the medic healed the man whose head was so vulnerable in her lap.

"Alright, the first pathway is complete. Now what? You have to use the basic Sharingan?" she asked, taking her hands off his head, and leaning back to stretch.

"Yes," he replied, with his eyes still closed. "My eyes need to stay closed until the end of the healing session. Do you need to change position?"

Sighing, Sakura agreed. "Yeah, I need to stretch my back out, I'm going to lay on my stomach behind you, ok?" Itachi lifted his head off her legs, taking the warmth they brought, too. Sakura crouched and swung her legs behind her, until she was propped up on her elbows. Reaching her hands forward, she held the Uchiha's head.

"When you're ready," she mustered.

Nodding, "I will revert to the Sharingan. The first pathway will disappear, and the second will emerge. Look near the top of the nerve, leaning to the inside of my head. I will let you know when you are close. I'm changing now."

Sakura had already put chakra into the nerve, and sure enough, detected the change in its atmosphere. The first pathway, actually did vanish, surprisingly. Seriously, what an interesting chakra function! Medically, the Uchiha's Kekkai Genkai was absolutely fascinating- there was no denying it. Sakura thusly began searching for the second chakra stream.

"You know, this is kind of a contradiction. You have to activate the Sharingan in order for me to heal it, but oh well. There are already a few things that your eyes do that regular ones don't, so I guess I should just go with it?" she laughed.

The kunoichi felt his face tug and actually, Itachi gave a small chuckle. "I suppose it would be odd to witness for a medic, as yourself. But yes, you should really just accept that my eyes are different from those you have studied so intently."

"I suppose so…" Sakura replied softly. She prided herself in her ability to multitask and kept talking as she healed the second pathway. "I heard that little laugh you did a little while ago. You should do it more often, I think." She commented easily.

Smiling slightly, Itachi playfully questioned her. "Why is that, Sakura?

Pressing more of her chakra into his head, she smiled, as well. "Because, laughing is good for you and it sounds nice." Sakura smarted. "Also, it proves you're not at all like I thought you were. You're hardly like how Konoha depicted you _and_ there's nothing wrong with being yourself. I know you've been holding your true mannerisms in, for quite some time."

She felt his head nod in her hands. Focusing on her work, she noticed the second pathway was making progress. As she suspected, with each new pathway, the damage increased exponentially. Sakura guessed it took about an hour for her to finish the stream for the standard Sharingan. One long, tedious hour of repairing and delicately fixing the pathetic excuse of a chakra pathway.

Releasing her hands, Sakura rolled onto her back to take a short break. If it took upwards of an hour to heal the second path, it was going to take much longer for the last.

"Sakura, you can take a break before you finish. I know it will take a while and I have no problem waiting," came a voice from close by.

"Sounds like a good idea. This last one's going to be quite the process." She sighed.

Closing her eyes for just a moment, Sakura inhaled and exhaled deeply. This was by no means the most exhausting procedure she had done, but it was still taxing. Two pathways and the optic nerve healings were depleting her chakra reserves.

However, she had faith to know there was more than enough left to heal the Mangekyou's chakra stream. It would take lots of time, but she wouldn't give in. Itachi needed her and besides, if she stopped now, his vision would remain where it was and there was always the possibility she'd have to start over from the beginning again. It was best to finish the job now and not take those chances.

Regaining her inner strength, she sat up and turned around to face her patient. Stretching her legs out in a 'v' formation, she placed each leg on either side of him.

Moving her hands to his head, she announced she was ready for him to move onto the final Sharingan.

"I am changing it now," Itachi calmly replied. "Look at the top of the nerve, but on the other side, towards your hands."

Again, Sakura felt the atmosphere in the nerve change, and the second pathway disappear. Perusing the nerve, she demanded her chakra to move to the other side of the small space. Luckily, the Uchiha informed her she was close to the pathway.

It was ever so small and thin compare to the other two. Sakura focused hard to surround the stream with her chakra. If the man under her hands hadn't told her she was near it, the medic could have easily passed over it.

_Thank heavens he knew what needed to be done to heal this ordeal. Orochimaru is essentially screwed with no prior knowledge..._ _Sakura: One. Kabuto: Zero._

Concentration filled her, as she worked on her task. This last path was going to take a long while, and she didn't feel like talking during it. It took an immense amount of effort to keep her chakra on the thin pathway and she didn't want to be distracted.

But despite its petite size, the obnoxious thing was riddled with holes, cracks, scrapes, inflammation, and bottle necked passages… _This is downright awful. Who knew such a small chakra stream could be so damaged?_ Well, unless you knew where to look, no one would see it, Sakura thought bitterly.

And thus began the three and a half hour long healing session.

* * *

"Ok, you can open your eyes," came a tired voice from above him.

Slowly, Itachi lifted his eyes and stared into the figure above him.

"It'll probably be a little blurry at first, but give it a moment…" Sakura whispered.

Indeed, a fuzzy outline of pink and green came into vision. She was kneeling next him, leaning on her hands.

Everything looked like it did before. Nothing changed.

Then, his sight began to sharpen. The pink in her hair soon had a definite outline. Then, he could see the dark pupils in her eyes. Her smile was clear on her face where he could see fatigue, but the determination and curiosity in her eyes as to the results of her handiwork, outshone the tiredness.

His sight… was restored.

The world suddenly became brighter and more defined. He knew where objects obviously ended. There was no blurred or delayed reaction. No more guess work. It was so…

Clear.

Pure.

It was like being born again.

"So, how is it?" Sakura asked excitedly, barely able to contain herself. She had just healed Uchiha Itachi's eyes, after all. And that was hardly a simple task…

To answer her question, Itachi sat up, propelling himself with his hands. His face leveled with his talented medic and stared hard into her face.

"You eyes…" Dark eyes focused intently. Itachi carefully lifted one of his hands and brought it to her face. "Are a most beautiful emerald color. Deep and lush green like the leaves in Konoha."

Sakura was speechless for a moment at his close contact, but the realization that her healing was a success, overcame her. A hearty smile graced her mouth and she laughed.

"It worked… It _worked_. Wow, who knew that the Sharingan could be healed? And even the Mangekyou? Of course, don't think it's permanent. Every time you use it, it'll damage again. But the bottom line is, you can see!" she exclaimed in pure delight.

A look of wonderment took place on his face as he looked, transfixed at his savior. Becoming a little bit bolder, he moved his hand into her hair, and was able to discern the individual pink strands as they linked through his fingers…

Sakura, however, realized he was still in shock from regaining his sight and continued her rambling.

"Do you have any idea of what a break through this is? It's absolutely astounding! Perhaps I can help Kakashi, now that I know where the chakra pathways are… Do you think that's possible, Itachi?" she looked at him, in glee.

The pinkette saw his mouth curl into a strong smile. It looked slightly odd on his face; a smile was ever so different from a smirk. But somehow, Sakura knew he was eternally grateful.

"Sakura, thank you. This is more than I could have ever hoped for." He replied with utmost honesty.

His medic laughed softly at his remark. "Aw, come on. It's my job to heal _and_ to learn. I'll have you know that your eyes are downright captivating to me in the latter respect."

Without missing a beat, he countered her comment. "I hope… my eyes are not the _only _part of me you find intriguing…" he said slyly.

Sakura hardly had enough time to change her happy expression to one of complete confusion.

The hand in her hair swiftly moved to the back of her neck, bringing her face closer to his own.

Sakura's lips crashed into his. Immediately, her eyes closed and she sighed. Sakura felt his lips slowly grasp on to hers, gently pulling it into his mouth. Not one to show weakness, the pinkette quickly released her lip from his hold and bit onto his own lower one.

As she kneaded his lip with her teeth, she heard a soft groan escape from his mouth. Sakura didn't know why, but she did _not_ want this to stop. Hell, she didn't even know how it began, but she'd be damned if she didn't let her desires take over. Sprinkles of want and desire had overcome her lately, and now that she finally could give in, Sakura was going to go all out. Besides, _he_ started it.

However, she should have known Itachi wasn't one to be submissive.

Quickly pulling his lip from her mouth, he forced his lips back onto her, and in the process, pushing her to the floor. Sakura pulled her head up to give him a dirty look.

He smirked.

She growled, "I am _so_ going get you for that."

Itachi didn't dignify that with a verbal response, but the way he lowered himself on to her clearly cried out, 'I hope you can try…'

Itachi began kissing his way off of her mouth, to her chin, when Sakura wrapped both her arms around his neck. She raked her fingers through his hair and he continued his travels down her neck. Hitting a sensitive spot, she groaned.

Smirking, he felt her hands wander down to his shoulders where she dragged her nails across his shirt. The feral growl he released didn't go unnoticed by her. Sliding her hands down his sides, Sakura felt his mouth leave butterfly kisses back up to her lips. An unexpected warmth enveloped her as he licked her bottom lip. Knowing what he wanted, she opened her mouth as his tongue slipped inside. It began to explore her mouth as she brought her hands back up to wrap around his neck.

Knowing that he'd had control for far too long, Sakura pushed off the floor, rolling them both over. Now straddling the impressive male, she stared down at him, proudly.

Itachi saw her eyes were now a darker green. They were beautiful.

Then he saw her lean down and capture his lips. Opening his mouth for her, she slid her tongue inside.

He played back.

Sakura felt his tongue dance with her own, as his hands delicately moved to her sides. The warmth of his hands made her moan deeply into his mouth, causing her to become more aggressive. The hands slid down lower and lower, until settling on her small waist. The curve of her petite body made him want her.

More than ever.

Itachi took his hands off her waist and pushed at her knees. Sakura lost her bodily support and fell on top of him. She glared at him again. However, the feel of his body felt _so_ _good_ against her and so deliciously warm… But she would _not_ let him know that.

Throwing him a smirk of her own, Sakura quickly dipped down to cover Itachi's ear in her mouth. The sudden heat on the tender area caused him to growl loudly and snake his arms around her back, holding her tighter and closer to him. Sakura cautiously licked his earlobe, feeling him shudder slightly. Breathing on it, she heard him groan into her own ear.

Itachi, unfortunately, knew this had to stop soon. The Hokage would be _less than thrilled_ to find out if he had gone _any farther_ with her student on his first night back in Konoha… It was better to stop himself before things got too far.

Bringing his hand onto her stomach, he lightly pushed her off of his torso. He glanced up to see surprise in her darkened eyes, before giving her a small smirk. Sakura sat back, causing her to kneel before him. A questioning look on her face was evident, as Itachi disentangled himself from her.

However, he leaned forward, pressing his hot lips to her ear, and whispered in a sensual voice, "You, my dear, are addictive…"

Sakura shook slightly. There were a lot of meanings to that statement and she wasn't sure which one he was talking about, if not all of them.

Removing his mouth from her ear, Itachi stared at her.

"I need to go, for now. I'll be within Fire country and back here tomorrow night, Sakura." He informed her, with a soft voice.

Nodding, Sakura stood up mechanically, righting her medic skirt to sit properly while Itachi got up off the floor, as well. Raking her hands through her hair so it didn't look like she just had a make-out session with Uchiha Itachi, she stared at him. His own hair was messed up and laying rather comically on his head from where her own hands messed it up.

Looking around, Sakura spied his headband and picked it up. She tried handing it over to him, but he only shook his head. Cocking her head in confusion, she watched him reach into his back pouch and pull out another hitae-ite. One _without_ a slash through it.

Sakura was about to question it, when Itachi's face curled into a smile, which his onyx eyes clearly conveyed.

"Your Hokage reinstated me." He replied plainly…

Breaking into her own smile, the pinkette nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

With a small nod, "Yes, in the evening. Until then, Sakura. And thank you, once again." With that, Itachi disappeared from her living room.

Sakura stood dumbly, alone in the room holding the hitae-ite. What the hell had happened tonight? Had she really just kissed Uchiha Itachi on her floor? Without a problem? _Well, you've been attracted to him for some time… At least he's legal territory now…_

True.

Sakura urged herself not to think about it at the moment. It was late and she was tired.

But she'd be damned if that wasn't the best 'thank you' she'd ever received. With a grin, she got ready for bed.

* * *

Whoa, talk about an eventful chapter...

-Kiwi


	17. Uraeus

I feel like I can't apologize enough for the belated update of this chapter. Please forgive me. Hopefully, it won't happen again. Anyway, enjoy!

Caution: Lots of swearing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor any characters in Naruto. Naruto and said characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

After the Uchiha had left, Sakura had indeed gotten ready for bed and slept rather…peacefully through the night. However, once she woke up and the raging hormones of desire had quieted, her rational mind decided to start working properly again. Thus, Sakura immediately recounted the previous night's happenings with horror.

The pinkette had stewed all day long in her apartment, wondering when he was going to show up and more importantly, _what he was planning_ when he did. But alas, after several hours of pacing around her living room, it was late into the night.

He hadn't come.

To be honest, she was glad, at first. Sakura was still beside herself for giving into him so…easily and willingly, and so she was almost wary of what the evening would bring. So when the 'Sharingan Restored' Uchiha didn't grace her apartment, the medic breathed a sigh of relief.

That is, until panic began to set in. Since when did he lie to her? He wouldn't say 'see you, tomorrow,' and not show up; he was still in too delicate a situation! And as the evening hours turned into the wee morning, Sakura figured she'd stayed up too long, and decided to go to bed. Unfortunately, it took longer than usual to fall asleep, with thoughts of him getting caught by Konoha's patrol or Orochimaru and other such things plagued her troubled mind.

But when the sun rose up, Sakura awoke strangely unruffled. It seemed all her worried thoughts had disappeared as she had slept. And so, she got out of bed and readied herself for a day at the hospital to earn some money. Working in the hospital was about all she could do nowadays, anyway; Sakura was the person the Uchiha loved to pop in on most frequently, essentially making her stuck in the village. The jerk knew she would be in Konoha if he ever wanted to stop by and _chat_… And by 'chat,' the rosette firmly believed that was his synonym of 'annoying' her. But no, Tsunade didn't give a flying shit about that.

While she walked the cheerful streets toward the hospital, the young apprentice considered her feelings since the morning, and found her carefree attitude justified. She wasn't worried about him since she woke up and that felt…ok. The fresh air had given her some time to think about the possibilities her former patient might be enduring.

If he had been caught by Konoha or engaged with battle with Orochimaru, there would be no doubt the village would be in an uproar and bustling around, freaking out. But, it looked like Konoha was acting normal as always. After all, if Anbu or Root discovered and captured him, surely, _everyone_ would have heard about it. And being the Hokage's loyal apprentice and Itachi's contact within the village, Tsunade would have let her know by now. Inner Sakura crossed her arms and nodded firmly to herself.

But if Orochimaru had found him, there would all kinds of crazy shit going down nearby. The snake-bastard had all but said he was coming near Konoha, and those two ninja powerhouses of ability would be re-landscaping the area. There would be no way to ignore the surges of chakra coming from them if they were truly battling or other things like the ugly-ass, giant Snake, which was sure to make an appearance.

With such logical conclusions instilled, Sakura finally smiled and decided she'd think more about it later. She had arrived at the hospital and job to do now. And _no one _distracted her while she was working.

The bright blue sky started fading into deep rust colors, with splashes of purples and yellows, indicating that the day was coming to a close. In fact, the medic mused, the hospital had been rather tame that day; no one had come in with anything major. Sometimes, the hospital had times like that, and Sakura admitted she was thankful for the good timing. There had only been a few minor things to deal with, like academy training gone wrong or sparring that had been over the top. In the end, it was a rather lax day and she got paid; that would not be something she'd complain about.

So when the pinkette arrived home and gotten changed into some comfy evening clothes, like jonin sweat pants and a tank top, she flopped on top of her couch, sighing. Sakura had closed her eyes for a moment, when they burst open again, full of fury.

In the span of a few hours, she had been relieved, worried, and now pissed at him.

The stupid prick was probably playing a mind game with her. Clenching her fists, her gut feeling told her she was right. The jerk had played Sakura completely into him and got her excited that he was coming to visit the next evening. And now she was left with all sorts of odd feelings about the situation because he fucking didn't return.

And oh, what an assortment of emotions she was carrying. Excitement that he'd show up again. Pride that she had healed his eyes perfectly. Panic if he had gotten hurt or caught. Relief he _hadn't_ arrived. Sadness that he lied to her. There had even been some desire in her that she wanted _more_ of him.

But right now, the medic was gnashing her teeth at him. After all that hard work she did for his stupid ass, this was how she was repaid? Oh, that boy better be ready when the insults and sarcasm came out.

What a _bastard_.

How _dare_ he treat her like some plaything? Like some unwilling player in a twisted game of his? What a two-faced brat. Inner Sakura growled in agreement.

_You're right. How can he have been raised to treat people with utmost respect and manners, yet be such a rude, selfish asshole?_

Sakura's fist was itching to break something. Anything. The couch, the flooring, but preferably something with dark hair and eyes that could turn red… Except that the last option wasn't currently available, which left the medic completely riled up with frustration and nothing to take it out on that would be beneficial… Because on second thought, destroying her couch and flooring would not be smart, considering her paycheck.

Throwing her hands in the air, Sakura cried, "I fucking give _up!_" He wasn't treating her fairly, and honestly, if he refused to do that, then he could just _go_.

Leave.

Disappear again.

Peace out.

Just get the hell away.

Sakura knew she hated people looking down on her. She despised being treated like a toy and deserved some respect! The pinkette hated being played with- like an animal with a piece of food dangling in front of it, only to never reach it. It just wasn't how you treated people after they did you so many favors.

Emerald eyes narrowed furiously.

Was _that_ why he did it? Just for the benefits? Was he really some spectacular puppet master who had _everyone_ in his grasp? Yeah, maybe it wasn't _just_ her… but Kakashi, Shikamaru, Tsunade… perhaps they got played like a fool, also? Oh man, she'd never live it down if Naruto was actually _right_.

The medic picked up a pillow that was lying beside her on the couch and threw it across the room with a yell. It landed heavily on the floor, but thankfully, it looked intact. One thought echoed through her head dangerously.

'Did he… take advantage of all of us?'

She screamed again.

Yeah. He did. The prick made everyone believe his story, which was probably fabricated, and…

_You all believed him._

Yeah, we did.

Then he took advantage of the pity and got himself a guest past to Anbu's very own medic. Another few chitchats later, and the Hokage let him back into Konoha. And…And…

_You gave him his sight back._

Well, fuck.

Sakura threw another pillow from the couch in the kitchen area this time, which didn't burst into clouds of stuffing, miraculously. Her green eyes darkened with a fury as she grunted in anger.

Luckily, the pillow throwing and yelling calmed her down enough to think rationally again. The stupid Uchiha certainly was making her foolish. The more she thought about _him_, the more _she_ didn't think clearly. How odd.

And ri-goddamned-diculous.

Whatever. Her mind was now processing things properly again after the ranting.

He couldn't be taking advantage, could he? He said he'd come back. That Akatsuki disbanded. That Naruto wasn't in any danger… Hell, he _made out_ with her on the floor! Just what in the whole shinobi realm was going on?

There was an explanation. There _had_ to be. Everything had an explanation. There wasn't anything that couldn't be explained. And the Uchiha didn't act on whims and fanciful thoughts which could pop up on any moment.

That's what _Naruto_ did. But that was beside the point.

Anyway, the only way she'd find out was if he somehow told her.

Which would require him to come into contact with her.

Which would result in her punching him, full chakra power, in between the legs.

Why? Because if she saw him again, she'd beat him until his body turned red, blue, and purple for lying to her. But then again, Sakura mused she really didn't feel like seeing him again because she was so damned pissed at him, anyway.

So she could wait for him to stop by, which would make her appear needy and insecure, only to punch him- _Girl, let's be honest. He'll probably stop you and make you look like a dumbass in the process._

Riiight. Probably.

Reality of Scenario Number One: If she waited for him, she'd very well end up looking like an idiot with an anger management problem. Or Scenario Number Two: She would _not_ see him, _not_ get any answers from him, and wallow in anger that she gave Konoha's Most Wanted a new pair of peepers.

Well, this was a fucking stupid situation.

Sakura knew it. Inner Sakura knew it. And the long-haired dirtbag knew it.

Oh, the pinkette growled in a way that Kiba would appreciate…

That Uchiha…wasn't dumb. He was clever and witty. Smart and Agile. He knew what he was doing every step of the way, and several ahead of that.

That in itself made the kunoichi want to cut off air supply to his lungs.

And the reason being Sakura had worked hard every damned day of her life to get where she was. She didn't go out when she was younger because she was too busy memorizing the Shinobi Code and textbooks. She worked diligently to gain that perfect chakra control of hers… She withstood perilous training from Tsunade-Shishou to get stronger, _because she couldn't on her own_.

But the stupid Uchiha… Was blessed from Day freaking One with all that ability and more.

Granted, life wasn't supposed to be fair… but she certainly didn't need it shoved in her face whenever the prick felt like planting himself on her couch. She should have never stopped in that bar on the way home after healing that village.

_Well, you could have… just not have drunk so much. He didn't show til you were in the teen numbers, hon._

Psh. Anyway, that decision to go drinking was her downfall… her spiral into madness and oblivion. It was like she decided to go on a ride, then once she was in it, and moving, she wanted off. Except that there was no Emergency Exit.

Just damn it all.

Rubbing her eyes in frustration, the pinkette got up from her couch to go fetch the pillows she threw had thrown across the floor. One laid a few feet in front of her, while the other was laying several paces away in the kitchen area.

Deciding to go for the far one first, Sakura quietly padded across the floor and onto the kitchen tile. As she reached down to grasp the pillow, she let out a sigh that there was nothing wrong with it. No tears, no rips… She had been worried about those. Even though the pillow didn't explode, there could have been other damage she couldn't have seen from the couch.

Picking it up, she grumbled all the way to the other pillow, lying abused on the floor. Upon first inspection, it looked alright, but once she picked it up and turned it over, a big gaping rip was on the underside, with stuffing starting to creep out.

Sakura was irritated. The stupid bastard was making her destroy her own stuff! The pinkette tossed the both the pillows _gently_ on the couch. A quick glance at the clock told her it was incredibly late into the morning hours. Deciding she'd just go to bed now and worry about fixing the pillow later, the medic stomped to her bedroom and went to sleep.

* * *

And thus, this was how she landed herself in her current state. After a few more days had passed, sans-prick, Sakura was sitting on her couch, pillow still with a tear, and still wondering why the hell she had acted that way so many nights ago.

What the hell was she _thinking_? No really, what on earth possessed her to do what she did? It was stupid, ridiculous, and utterly irresponsible of her. There really wasn't any justification to her actions which transpired so many days prior. There was no method to the madness, no reasoning whatsoever (which, of course, was stupid in itself). After all, medical ninjas were _supposed_ to be smart and act rationally, but _no_. Not this little pink-haired one.

Why did it happen? Because some illogical part of her decided that rolling around on her floor, whilst making out with a particular Uchiha had seemed like a _fantastic_ idea at the time. It was probably one of the few times Inner Sakura actually got her way.

Unacceptable.

Just completely, downright unacceptable.

Sakura was in her apartment, practically steaming in frustration on her couch, thankfully alone. The red-eyed jerk had yet to return from their last encounter about a week ago, _despite_ the fact that he said he'd come the next evening.

And she was still _pissed_.

Sure, she didn't want to see him, but he shouldn't treat her like some unimportant thing that could be cast aside. And it had been almost a whole week. A whole week! With no word from him! And since her pillow throwing several days ago, she had been in a horrible mood.

Of course, she still got her work done at the hospital, and she saved a few lives and patched up several accidents. She kept the cheery face and smiled at the little kids who were worried about getting shots…

But once out of the operating room and children's view, her aura changed drastically to that of Tsunade when the sake was hidden.

Needless to say, when Sakura was in a foul mood, people steered clear.

Sakura leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes, trying to calm down. It didn't really surprise her that she was still fuming at the Uchiha after almost a whole week. She held grudges when it was deemed necessary.

And it was necessary 'now.'

Sure, it was childish, but that was beside the point. The pinkette had long decided ago it was far less a problem to sulk than to be a liar. And it was considered 'healthy,' in _her own medical opinion_, to blow off steam and throw things, yell, and just be in a plain, bad mood. For her own sanity and for the safety of those around her.

And her bad mood worsened, as her senses picked up a presence approaching her front door. And if it was who she thought it was, she was going to slam the door in his stupidly, handsome face. That is, if she decided to open it in the first place.

The presence had indeed stopped in front of her door. The pinkette had opened her eyes in irritation upon hearing the three short knocks on the entryway.

She ignored it.

A few moments of silence ensued before three more knocks sounded on the hard wood. Again, they weren't answered. Sakura closed her eyes again, pulling her arms behind her head. The kunoichi decided she'd rather not encounter him at the moment, so he could just take himself and go away from here.

Three more knocks, louder this time.

When the medic failed for a third time to get up and answer the door, she heard a loud 'sigh' escape from outside, followed by a warning.

"_Sakura."_

Sakura refused to move from her couch and instead, she thought about how daring she was being. Clearly, that tone of voice wasn't one of simply playing around…

"I know you are in your apartment, Sakura. Your lights are on and I can sense your destructive mood from three streets over," came a smooth, but somewhat irritated voice from beyond the door.

It was then she decided it was time to stop being a little girl and start acting like an adult. The kunoichi lifted herself off her couch and began walking to her door. After all, she might as well confront him, since he would probably stand there all night until she let him in.

Sakura stood in front of her door, but instead of undoing the lock and letting her _guest_ inside, like a nice adult, she did the opposite.

"Get the fuck away." She threatened. Sakura _said_ she was going to act like an _adult_… just not a polite one.

Silence came from the other side of the door. However, the presence was still there, less than a few feet away.

When she noticed he was not heeding her words, the medic tried again.

"Did you not hear me? I said, 'go away.' I don't want to see you right now. Leave here." The apprentice dismissed the conversation and began walking back to her couch. Unfortunately, the presence was still there on her doorstep.

Though, this time, a male voice answered her statements.

"I am aware that you are more than upset with my lack of visitations. However, it would be to your utmost benefit to listen to my reasons before destroying your sanity with fanciful possibilities of what you believe happened."

Sakura plopped herself unceremoniously back on her couch, ignoring his reply. Why did he always find it necessary to speak like a human dictionary? She closed her eyes, willing him to leave, hoping he would go. That is, until his next sentence.

"Sakura, you realize I am more than capable of breaking into your apartment." A hint of mischief was evident.

Green eyes flashed open.

_Oh, you know that's more than true. How many times did we walk in and find him on this very couch?_ Inner Sakura chortled.

Sakura forgot Shinobi didn't always play by the rules. She had taken for granted when he actually knocked on her door, causing her to forget the other times where he hadn't announced his arrival like a polite person and just made himself at home.

Without her invitation.

"Oh, fuck you." Realizing she wasn't going to win, Sakura grumbled and got herself off the couch and over to the door. Unlocking the deadbolt, she threw the door open, and immediately turned around, refusing to see him face to face.

"Shut the door behind you, jackass." The pinkette bit out, as she walked back to her couch. She seated herself abruptly and it was then she made the decision to look him in the face.

Uchiha Itachi stood over by her front door, looking impressive as ever. Dark pants hung off his hips, tied by a dark belt over a dark black shirt. Everything on his person was black and in perfect condition. No rips, tears, dirt stains. Nothing.

Noticing his lack of wear and tear, the rosette kunoichi chewed him out for it.

"Looks like you've had a rough week. I see why you couldn't make it here; you've been pretty busy." Sakura's Sarcasm Switch was turned to the 'on' position.

Letting a sigh escape his mouth, Itachi looked at her with a dull look.

"I know you are wondering why I have not come to your apartment when I informed you I would." He replied to her.

Sakura gave him a dry look. "You think?"

Cocking an eyebrow, the dark-haired shinobi stared at her. "Sakura, did you not realize why I could not return here for these past few days?"

Grunting, "Yeah, I figured you were off in some massive battle or you had gotten mixed up into trouble. But by the looks of it, you seem to be in good health. So either you didn't engage in a fight, you heal at an incredible pace, or you simply didn't get hurt whatsoever. So… which is it, jerk?" The pinkette crossed her arms.

"The first." Itachi stated bluntly.

Sakura's eyebrows dropped. "You didn't fight? So what the hell were you doing? It wasn't Akatsuki things, that's for damn sure. So if you were just sitting on your ass, you could at least told me you weren't gonna come."

"Sakura, did you not notice who was on patrol these few days?"

"Uh, you serious? Things haven't changed since you left. Chuunins man the main gate. Jounins stay on guard on various posts on the wall. Anbu patrols the grounds within a several kilometer radius. Duh." Sakura was surprised at the genius' stupidity. The same people as always were on patrol. Of course, the people themselves varied, but the skill level was the same.

Unfortunately, Itachi gave a look which said, "Think harder."

Understanding his non-vocal statement, Sakura gave a sour look. "Look. Here's the deal. I don't feel like playing any more of your games tonight. Just tell me outright what your point is; I'm tired of beating around the bush with you."

Nodding, he acknowledged her request. Itachi deemed it appropriate. After all, her stubbornness and pissy-ness was his fault to begin with.

"Root was the Anbu team this week and I did not want to risk encountering them. I was unaware of the rotation change. I believed it would be possible to visit when I originally planned, but the squads on patrol switched from regular Anbu to Root. Thus, I waited for the teams to switch back again." Came his cool answer.

Sakura listened to his words. Indeed, Root had been the squad roaming the grounds this week. Root was dangerous to start with… Danzo always had tricks up his sleeves when it came to his Anbu platoon. Not to say Itachi would get caught, but if he did, Danzo was not part of friendly forces. At least if the Uchiha was noticed by the regular Anbu, it would appear on Tsunade's desk first and Tsunade would figure something out to cover his slip.

Sakura knew Itachi was careful by nature… he simply didn't take unnecessary risks unless they were fully calculated. Needless to say, Root on patrol threw an unknown variable into his equation of entering Konoha. And how did he deal with this variable? He ignored it and waited for it to disappear again.

"Fine. I can see why you wanted to avoid them. At least Tsunade would cover your ass, but if you were caught by Root, Danzo would get you first. Not exactly a great thing. But I would have figured you wouldn't be the type to get caught in the first place…" the pinkette pried.

"I do not like to take chances. Especially with Danzo. Sakura, you forget a key thought within the shinobi realm. There will always be someone stronger than you. I have no doubt that such a person can exist within the Root squad. It was safer to wait for the rotation to change." The Uchiha replied as shifted his balance.

Noticing this, Sakura quickly offered a seat on the couch- she guessed she could forgive him for not coming… it was a logical reason and she should have noticed Root was on duty! Why didn't she before…?

However, she began to open her mouth again to voice her next complaint.

Interrupting the medic before she could ask the question, Itachi answered as he walked to her couch, "I could not contact you for the same reason. Root would have known. And that would have been a far more dangerous maneuver."

Itachi seated himself on the couch. There was some space between him and the pinkette and he believed he would wait for her to initiate the lessening of distance between them. After all, he deserved as much.

The pinkette twisted on the couch. She pulled up both her legs and sat Indian style, facing her guest.

"I'll have you know, mister. I worried about you. It may have only been for a few hours, but I did." She said, hardly enthused.

A small smile cracked across Itachi's face. Sakura felt pleased to invoke that emotion out of him… _Oh…it'll be a pleasure, girl…It'll be a pleasure. Let's see what else we can get out of him_. Sakura shut her other self up before she went into dangerous territory.

"I would hope so. But I'm sure you realized that all of Konoha would be in an uprising if I was caught." The Uchiha breathed out.

Sakura leaned forward, putting her face closer to Itachi, who still remained in the proper seating position. His feet were planted on the floor, arm contently placed on the arm rest, while the other lay innocently at his side. Only his face was turned to look at her.

Sakura's leaning caused the distance between them to shorten. Itachi inwardly smiled, knowing that she was feeling more comfortable with him being there. It seemed she was becoming more and more relaxed, most likely because she now knew he was ok.

The medic however, paid more attention to his words, than to her own actions.

"You hope?" she asked confusedly. "You didn't think I would worry? Listen Itachi, it's ok for people to worry about you. Did you think that no one cared? Sorry to tell you this, but you're not alone, mister."

Blinking, he tried to justify his words. "Sakura, you are aware that for the better part of my life, I have only been able to rely on myself. I think you can understand that the obligations of companionship have not been applicable to me."

The pinkette swatted her hand at him- again, lessening the distance between them.

"You're such an idiot. Listen, I've been in contact with you for quite some time now. You may have been an ass at multiple times, but you never treated me badly. Sure you've irritated me beyond belief, but I still think you're a good person. Besides," she pointed her finger accusingly. "You kissed me last time you were here. Yeah. Like, making out. I don't know how knowledgeable you are about girls, but let me tell you, we don't tend to do stuff without getting emotionally attached."

Itachi's trademark smirk quickly appeared on his face, causing Sakura to instantly regret her words.

"Sakura, would you elaborate?" he purred. Knowing that the two of them were now back on old terms, he slowly turned himself on the couch to face her.

Sakura realized she was caught in her own trap. Damn. But instead of retreating like a scared little girl, she remained as she was on the couch. She was tilted toward him, only a foot or two between them.

"Look, you jerk." Emerald darkened. Onyx noticed this. "Listen, we kissed. Made out. Whatever. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. However, what bothers me is the fact that I did it without thinking or considering anything. I lost control of myself and I hate that."

Onyx glinted.

"So, you're saying your most irritating problem lies in the fact that you acted entirely primal? That is, without rationale or reason? The problem _not_ being the actual physical act itself?" Itachi's smooth tenor voice rang out darkly.

Sakura found herself deeper in a mess. Seriously. What about him was making her not think properly? It was hazardous to her health or something because she did not act this way around everyone. Only him. It intrigued her and frightened her to an extent, actually.

"I honestly can't win against you." She replied bitterly.

"What did I tell you earlier, Sakura? There is always someone stronger." His smirk deepened.

The medic then noticed him lean forward, as well. They were now eye level, only a few inches apart.

_Well played, Uchiha. Well played_.

Sakura knew what he was he was doing. She knew what he was trying to do. And he thought he was oh, so clever.

She didn't move. The kunoichi remained where she was, refusing to back down. She knew she was playing with fire. The medic was well aware of how this would eventually pan out. But for some reason, his statement had struck a chord. There _would_ always be someone stronger. And in this situation, it was clear who the strongest was.

She knew she was attracted to him. Sakura had admitted that looong ago. However, she was always scared and pissed off that she was. And with him this close… it was that much more apparent. The old adage that 'love makes you do stupid things' finally made sense. And to make things better, or perhaps worse, he was legal territory now.

The medic strongly mulled things over. Did she want this? Now that it was within her grasp… did she really want to start something with him? He was handsome. He was strong and intelligent. Uchiha Itachi was everything she wanted in a man.

But was _he_ the one who _she_ wanted? Sakura knew that he was attracted to her. He was the instigator. He started the kissing last time he was here. Itachi always made the first move- a sign of dominance, aggression, and desire to get what was wanted. But the real question was… did _she _want him?

Dark grey eyes glinted in front of her.

_Do it. Do it. Do it. Do him. Do him. DO HIM._

Sakura stared hard at his handsome face. She really couldn't win against him. But maybe that's what she always wanted.

Throwing her own smirk at him, she silkily asked, "You're awfully full of yourself, Uchiha."

He moved an inch closer.

Emerald darkened.

His smirk deepened. "I believe I am rightfully so." Game Over. He had her now.

Moments that went by felt like months…years. Sakura made her move.

"Prove it."

He didn't need telling twice.

* * *

Well, I guess you all know what's coming, right?

-Kiwi


	18. Eye of Horus

*Awkward laugh*

Disclaimer: I do not Naruto, nor any characters in Naruto. Said characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

The moment she uttered those words, she almost regretted it. His eyes transformed into the deepest shades of black, like those on a moonless night. They had lowered and practically radiated anticipation and the way his mouth curled at their corners revealed his desire.

In a few short moments, the dark-haired male had almost become animalistic, barely restraining himself for the prize he was just given; she had offered herself, and willingly.

She was almost scared and unsure of what to think. Had she just said those words emptily? Did she really mean them? But when it came down to it, no man had ever looked at her the way he was now…

And without warning, heat churned through her. It felt deliciously warm and Sakura wanted to feel more of it. There was no question on how the sensation was forming. His blatant wanting of her proved to be empowering. Previous feelings of fright and regret immediately disappeared.

Itachi saw her eyes darken, the usual color of bright, sea-foam green blending into a deep emerald with glimmers of black touched throughout. But then, at the close distance the two of them were at, hardly anything could be missed. Even the slightest change in eye color.

She couldn't stand it anymore- the raging desire within her, compressed over the past few weeks finally wanted out with full fury and force. And without a further thought, she leaned forward and closed the distance between them.

Warm, soft lips met her own and relished in their touch. She felt his hands reach around her and settle on her lower back, attempting to pull her closer. She could feel the warmth from his body pouring through his clothes and through her own thin ones. His hands felt like fire on her back. She wanted more of it and more of _him_.

He felt her hands gently slide behind his neck- her own effort of getting closer. It still wasn't enough because he felt she was still too far away for his liking. He pulled her more so that she was now right up against him, so much that he could feel her chest move as she breathed heavily. Her breasts moved up against him in such a way which caused him to growl into her mouth.

Hearing him growl brought a newfound confidence in her, bring her to smirk into his mouth. Suddenly, she unwrapped her arms around his neck and trailed her fingers down his delightfully tight shirt. They stopped at the hem and she quickly grabbed hold and pulled upward. It seemed he knew what she wanted because he had removed his hands from her back and had now lifted them above his head, in order to ease the process. Once the shirt had past his head and hands, she threw it to the floor where it landed in a soft shuffle of fabric.

When she finally saw what was underneath the garment, she didn't even bother to hide her emotions. Several times now, had she seen him in that black shirt, and not once had she seen him without it. Finally, she was seeing what exactly, was beneath the shirt. Suddenly finding her lips dry, she darted her tongue out to wet them. She didn't even care that he was smirking at her.

His body was unbelievable to look at. The muscles in his abdomen were perfectly toned, complimenting his well-chiseled chest. Without a second thought, she reached both her hands out, placing them low on his hips. She slowly slid them over his skin, enjoying the feeling of him squirm under her touch. She could feel his muscles relax at first, but then tense up as she moved over them and he didn't bother to hold back a grunt of pleasure.

Perhaps she was moving too slow, because he quickly pulled her into his space again, settling his hands at her small waist. His hands followed the contour of her body, feeling her hour glass figure. But as he brought his hands up past her waist, he didn't even bother to try and stop himself from bringing her blouse with them. The unexpected heat being contained under her shirt caused him to groan in anticipation. Without waiting, he pulled her as close as possible against him.

The direct contact between both skin caused her to purr in excitement. The heat from both their bodies mixed deliciously, making her want more and more. She pressed her hands to his back, trailing her fingertips up and down his rippling muscles. He showed his delight in her ministrations by weaving one of his hands through her hair, while the other softly caressed her side. She let out a groan of wanting when he descended upon her neck. The tugging sensation he created on the tender flesh gave rise to more heat throughout her body. She kept her head tilted to give him more of what he was after.

The hand in her hand snaked its way down her face and down her shoulder. It kept sliding further and further, where he felt her breast and its fullness. He gave his hand a light squeeze, causing a ripple of pleasure through her body, with her moaning as confirmation. Without warning, he moved his hand off her chest and down to her own blouse's hem. She didn't get time to protest before he yanked the shirt over her head.

He smirked at her sudden change of emotion, from completely entranced to that of surprise and embarrassment. Tossing her shirt forcefully to the floor, he looked at her for the first time.

She was kneeling on the couch, with widened, dark eyes, and a blush on her face. Leaving her face, he moved his eyes down her body, seeing his telltale mark on her neck and then the light, pink dusting across her chest. Her hands were suddenly trying to cover herself up, not that they were doing a good job of hiding the dark red bra and the breasts within them. He finally was looking at the scar on her abdomen before she finally said something to him.

"Hey," she grumbled. "That wasn't necessary." She then made a move to pick up her blouse from the floor.

Dark grey eyes glinted. Now, she couldn't be putting clothes back on after he just took them off…

He leaned forward to cut off her movements, each of his hands grabbing one of hers. The action caused her to fall backwards on the couch, with him on top of her and her hands above her head.

Smugly, he lowered himself onto her, and he could see her jump at the touch of so much skin.

"If I am not to wear a shirt, than neither are you," he whispered into her ear.

With both hands above her head and him practically straddling her, she didn't have anywhere to go. All she could do was simply lay there and enjoy whatever it was he was doing to her.

But she wasn't one to simply take things quietly. She immediately arched her back, forcing herself to make more contact with him. Her hips made a connection to his own, and finding that the sensation felt good, she continued rocking against him.

His lips were back on her neck, gracefully gliding over her skin, but she had such a beautiful body to explore, and he decided to do just that. He dipped his head down and kissed her collarbone. An occasional nip at the area would elicit a cry from her and her gentle rocking against him turned into pure, unbridled bucking.

He put both of her hands into one of his and moved his now free hand to her shoulder. Gently, he slipped the red fabric off her shoulder, revealing creamy, white skin for him. His hand moved slowly down her semi-exposed back, while his lips immediately sought out the newly discovered flesh. The top of her breast was exceptionally soft, and the contact with his hot, wet mouth caused her to mew with anticipation. His free hand found the clasp that hid her chest from him and knew that wasn't acceptable. He grabbed hold of the fastening and started to slide the hook-

Knocking suddenly came from the door.

Grey and emerald opened quickly and faced the front door. Sakura's mouth dropped suddenly, upon realizing her predicament.

"Sakura," a lazy voice drawled out. "It's Shikamaru. I need to tell you something."

Sakura started freaking out. Oh no. Oh no. What bad timing… What awful timing Shikamaru had! He just happen to decide to knock on her door, with Uchiha Itachi inside, laying on top of her, and not to mention, both of them were shirtless? Oh no, no, no, no.

Itachi sensed her distress and her overreaction to such a situation. There was no need to get riled up, according to him. All she had to do was put a shirt on. In an effort to calm her down, he let go of her hands and bent down to get his shirt while she did the same.

"Just a minute," the pinkette cried, reaching for her own shirt and putting her bra strap back on her shoulder. She frantically put the blouse back on, while walking to the door. A quick glance over to the couch and she saw Itachi was fully dressed and smirking, as well. She swore she would kill him later, the pompous bastard.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura unlocked the door and grabbed the handle. Putting on a smile, she opened the door and welcomed her friend.

"Hey, Shikamaru," the medic beamed. "What's going on? Come on in!"

The lazy man known as Shikamaru was dressed in his normal attire, and walked into Sakura's apartment. Upon entering the area, he immediately set to analyzing the situation. Uchiha Itachi was seated on the couch, smirking and glancing at the owner of the residence.

"Sorry this is such short notice," Shikamaru began. "But something else has happened. I figured to come here." With a shrug, the shadow-user looked at his friend, who was blushing profusely and had hair mussed up in several directions. When she went to lock the door, a sideways glance made him see a small mark on her neck.

Oh, bother.

Keeping in a sigh that he had just walked in on something intimate and then creating an awkward atmosphere, Shikamaru decided it was best to just deliver the information and leave.

Facing the Uchiha, he calmly stated, "There have been another set of fires. Same pattern, different location." His spiked head tilted to the left. "What do you make of it?"

It took a few moments, but the dark haired male finally answered. "He's coming."

Silence filled the air.

Sakura blinked. "What? You talking about Orochimaru?" she asked. Both men looked at her with approval. She turned to the Uchiha and shifted her weight. "So… is he coming here? As in Konoha? Or you say he's coming and then will wait for you to meet him halfway?" The pinkette crossed her arms in front of her.

Itachi immediately answered her, "We will meet him halfway."

Something struck her at this. What had stood out most was how easily Itachi had answered the question. Sakura knew by now that the male didn't reply to inquiries that readily. He liked to take his time and wait. This time, he didn't. Which meant one thing.

"How long have you known it was going to come to this?" the medic pried.

"Too long," was the tired response. Sakura lowered her eyes.

The other male in the room huffed and sighed, getting the pair's attention. "So, Uchiha," Shikamaru slouched forward. "Would you be so kind as to enlighten us where this meeting point is going to be?"

Grey eyes focused on the shadow-user. "If I were to make a conjecture," he began thoughtfully. "I would say the old Akatsuki rendezvous point in Konoha."

Two eyes focused hard on him at this point. One set were surprised, the other, disappointed.

Before either of them could begin to question, Itachi elaborated.

"Akatsuki had various meeting places throughout the entire ninja realm. They were used to contact Leader or summon our strength to extract bijuu from jinchuuriki despite our location. I would have thought you'd have noticed this years ago, when you went to rescue your friend Gaara. There were only Sasori and Deidara at that location. Therefore, you should know we traveled in pairs for the most part, and thus were dispersed throughout the realm. So yes, there was one such point in Konoha, Sakura. Don't look surprised." He looked at the Nara. "I imagine you are upset that such a place was set up in your own backyard, correct?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "To be honest, I had an inkling, but I'd rather of it not been true."

"Yes, well, we can't always get what we want." Itachi said darkly. Silence hung there for a few moments, until the long-haired male continued. "Anyway, I imagine Orochimaru would want to battle someplace significant; where there was some meaning to him. When he was in Akatsuki, he was elated when I joined for I was still his goal for a substitute body. He used one particular rendezvous point as a battle ground, where I came out victorious. I imagine he'll go there to correct the past and throw salt in old wounds, if possible."

Both a pink head and brown one nodded forward.

"Well," Shikamaru slouched to the left. "It's the best guess we have. Anyway, the Hokage wants to see us now. So hurry up and get ready."

Itachi nodded at the two of them, signaling he would meet them in the tower separately. Shikamaru looked at Sakura, telling that the two of them would walk together.

When Itachi left, Shikamaru informed his friend that she'd better put on a shirt with a high collar, much to her dismay.

* * *

Six people stood in the Hokage's office: The Hokage herself, Kakashi, Sakura, Itachi, Shikamaru, and Naruto. Sakura had taken Shikamaru's advice and gotten out a shirt with a collar high enough to cover the mark on her neck, but she was still scared her former mentor would notice something. When it came to naughty, smutty things, _nothing_ escaped the eyes or nose of Kakashi. With a glance at him, she only hoped he couldn't smell Itachi all over her person. She needn't worry about Naruto smelling anything… he was still ignoring her.

The blonde Hokage began the talking. "So, everyone know what's going on?" Four heads nodded. The blonde focused Itachi. "Uchiha, you sure you know where you're going?" One head bowed forward.

Tsunade clasped her hands together on top of her desk. "Ok," she barked. "Here's the deal. Only three of you are heading out. They are Naruto, Sakura, and off the books, Itachi." At this, the other blonde in the room yelled out in rebellion.

"Why can't Kakashi-sensei come? He's part of the original Team 7! He should be there to help!" Naruto screamed wildly.

Three heads sighed in frustration and Tsunade motioned to Shikamaru to explain.

"That's exactly why he can't come, Naruto." The male answered. Naruto still showed signs of confusion, asking for more detail. "Naruto, this is all to avoid suspicion. People know you, me, Kakashi, and Sakura have been together more than normal _and_ in the Hokage's office. We can't let Danzo know what we're up to. In that case, we divide and conquer. You must go, Sakura needs to go, but Kakashi has to stay. And I'm staying because this whole business really has nothing to do with me. From the outside, it'll look like Tsunade forced you and Sakura on a mission to make up. Everyone knows you two have been chomping at the bit. It's not that suspicious. But if Kakashi were to go… something would seem up."

Naruto wasn't buying it. "But, the three of us have been on missions before! What difference does that make now?"

"Because, brat," Tsunade growled. "You two are supposedly going on a low ranked mission. There's no need for _three_ jounins to do something like that. It sounds like genin work, or punishment for two people who can't get along together."

Naruto shut up.

Happy that the fox container became silent, Tsunade finished her speech.

"So," amber eyes scanned the room. "Naruto, Sakura, Uchiha… you three better get some good rest. Shikamaru and Kakashi, tomorrow, you two will be meandering around the village, making sure nothing is out of the ordinary. You underst- Kakashi! Put that damn book down!" Tsunade yelled.

Sakura looked over and saw her mentor teacher indeed, had his infamous orange book out. No wonder he had been quiet throughout the whole meeting…

Kakashi, however, snapped the book shut and quickly placed it in his hip pouch, while mumbling something like "Sorry, Hokage…"

The older blonde eyed him dangerously. "Do you understand what you need to do?"

The silver-haired man nodded sheepishly and shoved his hands in his pockets. Directing his eyes down at the floor, he realized how much the two women in the room could frighten him. When he heard the Hokage mumbling about how she needed more liquor in her system for putting up with a guy like him, Kakashi chanced a look at his younger pupil. She had remained very quiet throughout this whole meeting, and it was very unlike her. Sakura always voiced her opinions, both in opposition or agreement.

He saw that she was standing, constantly shifting her weight, which after knowing her for so long, he bulleted as an indicator of feeling uncomfortable. And then he noticed it. Perhaps it was because he was just reading porn, but looking at Sakura and then at Itachi, made him want to laugh. The male was standing smug as ever, practically radiating triumph. The woman beside him, was standing rather tightly wound, rubbing her hands behind her back and fidgeting slightly. Kakashi had an inkling of what that meant… and sure enough, taking a whiff of the air proved there was some residue of arousal in the room. And it was all focused on the couple a few feet away from him.

"Kakashi!" the hokage roared.

Barely containing laughter, the copy-nin faced the older blonde, who was fuming at him for diverting his attention elsewhere from her. Realizing his mistake that she was getting dangerously close to hurting him, he kept his mouth shut.

"Honestly," she grumbled. "You're an older jounin… respected by how many people? Yet you read smut in public when you walk down the streets, in front of your students and training them, and me, the Hokage! And you do it during important meetings! What kind of example are you trying set, Hatake Kakashi?"

"Aa, that would be multi-tasking." The silver-haired man deadpanned as he rubbed that back of his head. Sakura and Naruto both guffawed at the comment and even the stoic Uchiha cracked a smirk. Tsunade hit her forehead with her palm in frustration.

"I swear, you lot will be the death of me," she growled. Taking a deep breath, she began again. "Sakura, Naruto!" Both of them snapped their attention back to her, immediately ceasing their laughter. "Obviously, the Uchiha can't leave with you two tomorrow. You three need to set a time and place of where you'll be meeting to make the final travel. He will lead you there, right, Uchiha?" A nod surfaced. "Excellent. Now, Naruto and Sakura, when you leave tomorrow, you must give the impression nothing that important is going to happen. It's a simple mission you both are to undertake: scroll delivery. That's all. Besides, you two are supposed to be mad at each other, though you already are. So, it'll be helpful if you either scream at each other and ignore one another more blatantly. Got it?"

A pink head grimaced and nodded forward. Naruto's face sneered as he bowed his own head. Both of them knew that it wouldn't be hard to do those tasks.

"Perfect. Now you all need some rest. You'll need to be in prime condition, so if you have any injuries that need fixing, I suggest you take care of them. Now get the hell out of my office."

* * *

It was raining. Water droplets fell from the sky and attached themselves onto the tree leaves, only to slide off and fall to the ground. Luckily, in this area of forest, the rain wasn't dripping on the ground too much and it was still relatively dry. The tree canopy provided a natural umbrella against Mother Nature's tears.

One figure was on the soil, woven in between the trees, hunched over and crying in pain. Another figure was several yards away, intently watching the other suffer with enjoyment.

The one man fell down to his knees, holding his head in his hands, almost writhing in torment. Different voices erupted from his mouth- almost like two people. Indeed, it sounded like someone arguing with himself, but to go so far as to have different voices…?

The man off in the distance could barely hold back a grin. The one who he was looking at, was supposedly one of the strongest ninja in the realm and history. One who invoked fear and demanded respect. He was almighty, powerful, and a threat to anyone deemed as his enemy.

Or at least, that's who he used to be.

But alas, his prime had now been taken from him.

Pein knew he couldn't be killed, though. After so many years, he had known that Uchiha Madara was basically immune to pain, death or ageing. But that was fine. If you have a plan B, that is... and Pein had a back-up strategy.

Pein entered the vicinity of where Madara was crouching over. It seemed the Tobi personality was battling to awaken, yet was constantly being subdued by the stronger, more dominant personality Madara originally housed. The result was almost comical.

Seeing Madara flailing on the forest floor shouting out sentences and gibberish in one childish voice, than dramatically change into another, stronger resonance… well, it wasn't often Pein saw that. But here he was… doing that very thing.

Pein was just a few paces away from the poor being and was still unnoticed. It wasn't because he was being overly cautious or trying to be quiet. Hell, he didn't even bother to hide his chakra. It seemed the man screaming on the floor was too wrapped up in his own warped, little world to notice the real one in front of his eyes.

The orange-haired male stepped right in front of the person, who was now Tobi. All Tobi had to do was look up and he could see he wasn't alone… but Pein still remained unseen. It was almost sad. The man really was a lost cause. He couldn't even notice someone standing right in front of him.

Finally having enough of staying silent, Pein decided it was time to show his existence, even though it was in plain sight.

"Tobi. Madara. Look up." He claimed, with an air of arrogance. Pein didn't forget that the man before him still had access to the Sharingan… but to be honest, it didn't even look like it was even an issue at this point. Tobi was still holding his head rocking back and forth on his knees. Yes, there was no possibility that the dangerous Uchiha eyes would bring misfortune today. Pein tried again to gain his attention.

"Look up, I say," boomed his voice. It apparently was enough, for the man finally glanced up off the ground and noticed feet standing before him. With a whimper, he followed the feet up to a pair of legs, then a waist, a torso, and finally to the face of Pein. Rinnegan stared back hard at him.

Seeing his wild orange hair and piercings must have triggered a response for the Tobi personality to go back into submission. Madara called forth, "What are you doing here?" He tried to sneer the words out, but, the struggle of keeping Tobi under check was proving quite a challenge. The response felt rather forced and strained.

"I came to inform you of news." Pein said, rather blandly.

"Oh, well, spit it out, spit it out." Madara didn't hesitate. Pein decided he wouldn't either.

"Akatsuki has disbanded." There it was. It was all out in the open now. Pein watched the man's face closely for signs of emotion. Instead, the shock upon the elder ninja must have triggered a personality switch again, because Tobi was now back.

"What? Leader, _no_! Where will Tobi go?" he cried. Apparently, Madara tried for dominance again.

"Who cares, brat? You weren't that important to begin with." He sneered at himself. But his face soon contorted into the goofy, childlike manner.

"But it's not fair! Tobi has friends now!" Tobi shrieked.

Pein watched as the two personalities fought with each other and he was finding it increasingly difficult to suppress his delight. Really, this was too entertaining to bear, but then again, he was here for a reason. And that reason was to make Madara suffer.

Madara had been behind the scenes pulling his strings for quite some time. Pein acted in place of the Leader of Akatsuki, but he knew what was really happening. He was being used. Manipulated.

And that was unacceptable.

But Pein was a patient man and just kept to the program. It seemed like a "don't bother me and I won't bother you" type of relationship. And so, Pein did as Madara said and thus, Pein didn't have any problems or issues. Until it grew old, that is. It was tiring. And after awhile, people get fed up with acting like a puppet. So, it was time for Madara to suffer for all those years of "Do this, do that" nonsense he had put up with.

Looking down at the mess of a man on the ground, Pein noticed Madara was back in control. Bracing himself, Madara began talking.

"Why…" he growled. "would you do such a thing?"

Pein belatedly realized Madara was still wearing an Akatsuki cloak, which was now covered in dirt and leaves. That somewhat bothered him a little bit… Akatsuki were an elite organization. They were to represent the worst of the worst… but had to look the part. The cloak signified their allegiance. The fact that the cloaks were constantly cleaned and maintained separated them from every day, common thugs. After all, no one takes a person seriously when they haven't showered in three days. But a well-kept criminal was certainly frightening. It meant he was orderly, well-maintained, and showed he took pride in himself.

But no matter, because the cloaks weren't needed anymore. Pein had burned his when the base was demolished. But since Tobi/Madara hadn't heard that particular set of news, he of course, kept his on.

"You should take that off." He stated mildly, pointing to the dirty cloak. It seemed that this infuriated Madara even more.

"Why should I?" he spat.

Pein sighed. "I just informed you. It was mutual consent that the group disband."

"If it was mutual," Madara raged out. "Then I should have been given a vote! I wasn't involved in the decision, so Akatsuki should still be enacted!"

The pierced man shook his head. "It's too late. Everyone has left the base with their belongings. We've all gone our separate ways. The main base has been destroyed. There is nothing left for you or any of us in that place or organization."

"Why, Leader? Did Tobi do something wrong? How come no one told Tobi? Does that mean all of Tobi's things got destroyed when the base went away?" the boy wailed.

"You idiot! It doesn't matter if your silly toys were annihilated!" Madara seethed.

Tobi cried.

Pein watched in silence. _Content_ silence, that is. Madara fighting with Tobi was absolutely entrancing. He'd be lying if he said watching the once-strong shinobi fighting with himself wasn't entertaining. One moment, Tobi would be crying furiously, pouting uncontrollably, the next, Uchiha Madara would try to reclaim authority and attempt to shut his other self up. Again and again the cycle repeated and after several minutes, it seemed the "both" of them forgot Pein was even standing there.

And to be honest, Pein was perfectly alright with that. But, he had one last thing to do to ensure Madara would suffer for the rest of his years, no matter how long they were.

Yes, he had thought long and hard about it, and there was only one way. For how do you hurt a man who can live forever?

Well, Madara could live a long time, and yes, he could reconstruct parts of his body endlessly…

But there was one set of parts which only could be made once. Once and only once. And the best part was, there was no way for him to fix it.

So, how do you hurt a man who can live forever? Who was incredibly strong? Who can avoid pain? Simple. You take away his most important item.

Pein pulled two kunai out of his back pocket. He was going to do this himself. No jutsu. No clones. No Six Paths. Just him. And he would relish the moment.

He took a kunai in each hand and waited for the cowering man in front of him to raise his head, just slightly. And when he did, Pein thrust both kunai into Madara's skull. Each kunai met a Sharingan eye, which sliced into two.

Madara screamed. Tobi yelled. Both continued to wail, taking turns of high- and low-pitched howling. Hands reached up, to catch blood streaming from both eye sockets. The Sharingan eyes Madara had used so reliably for all his techniques were irreplaceably ruined.

The former Leader of Akatsuki smirked at the man on the ground, rolling in pain. Of course, Madara couldn't die. But for Madara to live the rest of his live without his Sharingan… that was a fate worse than death. Pein burned this scene in to memory.

"Your precious weapon… is gone."

* * *

And the loose ends start to tie up...

Let me know what you think!

-Kiwi


	19. Anhur

Annnd here we have the next chapter, but it's extra long as an apology for the delay. ...so it's really like _two_ chapters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor any of its characters. Said characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

It was almost… odd- the three of them, really. Sakura couldn't help lingering on the fact that she was in the oddest combination of three people possible.

As Tsunade instructed, Sakura and Naruto had left the village early in the morning, complete with the awkward atmosphere. The pair had walked rather forcefully out of the village, in an uncomfortable fashion- Sakura had grumbled and scowled with her arms crossed as Naruto placed his hands behind his head.

And refused to look in her direction. That had hurt.

Sakura was tired of these shenanigans. She was sick of being at odds and ends with her teammate and practically _brother_. She had pretended to be pissed at him while exiting the gates to the Leaf Village, however, she didn't think the blonde was faking as well. Seriously, just how long was this going to keep up?

And so, they marched on in uncomfortable silence until they were well out of Konoha's perimeter. Upon reaching a safe distance, Sakura had dropped the charade of acting mad at her teammate. She had sighed softly and returned to her casual self; Naruto had continued not speaking to her, though she did notice his eyes were downcast.

She had attributed it to him thinking. Maybe he was simply taking his time and still getting all his thoughts together? Whatever the case, the pinkette decided to remain quiet. She hoped everything would work out in the end…

Thus, they had soon reached their agreed rendezvous point with the elder Uchiha. After nodding to them, he simply said the words, "follow me," and led the way to the eventual battle ground. The silence continued. After all, the elder male was a quiet person by default and Naruto was refraining from speaking up until this point. So Sakura decided to just keep her mouth shut, too.

The trio was now standing on some sort of ruins- there were stone structures littering the landscape, along with multiple sets of stone steps and temples. Sakura grimaced. Stone was going to hurt if she landed on it... Shaking her head to keep from focusing on the hard battleground around her, the pinkette steered her attention to the dark-haired male who was walking towards a short wall.

The Uchiha… well, he was just that. An Uchiha. She gave a slight smile as she looked at him, standing without a cloak of black and red clouds dancing on it. Instead, he had tied his new hitae-ite around his forehead- the one recently issued without a strike-through on the leaf symbol. He wore his black trousers and black shirt. The shirt, Sakura didn't fail to notice, had the familiar Red and White fan proudly imprinted on the back.

The medic was fixated on the fact that the elder brother would wear such a shirt. Didn't he hate his clan or at least some of it? They had wanted to revolt against the village that he proudly served… yet here he was, wearing the very symbol which he struck a kunai through in his old compound.

Or maybe, the pinkette mused, he figured it was time to start anew. The Hokage had reinstated him in the village and with a new headband. He was wearing that across his brow, so maybe he decided it was time for second chances? Perhaps he wanted to believe in his clan and show faith. Fate worked things out like that sometimes- he was a prime example.

Whatever the case, the Sharingan-user had his reasons.

When she initially saw the shirt, Sakura had immediately glanced toward her blonde teammate, curious to see his reaction. In their days of Team 7, Sasuke had worn his Red and White fan religiously across his back. How would Naruto take Itachi to wearing it? The medic had expected some sort of snide remark or grimace to grace his mouth. Instead, she saw his eyes were still lowered, though his mouth was now pressed into a hard line.

She knew that face. That was the face the fox-container used when he was truly thinking about something. Something that was tearing him apart emotionally. These were thoughts that were making his heart cry.

Realizing Naruto was finally coming to their side, Sakura suppressed any motion that would give away her peeking at him. He needed quiet and to be alone with his musings. She would give him that courtesy.

So, here they were, standing in a stone courtyard, while the sun shone down on them. For such a beautiful day outside, it was sad to think that such horrible events were about to transpire.

And thus, the three of them waited.

Itachi had sat himself down on the short stone wall and closed his eyes. Sakura suspected he was meditating. Naruto had seated himself down on some stair steps connecting to the courtyard, facing away from her. Sakura herself had planted her body down in the middle of the courtyard, legs outstretched.

It was during this waiting time that she had mused why the three of them were so… what was the word? Awkward? No. Odd? Maybe. Downright confusing? That seemed a bit closer…

On the wall, was an ex-Akatsuki member. A man who had killed his own clan, joined an illegal organization for hunting tailed-beasts and killing the individuals who housed them. To top it off, the one beast he _specifically_ was assigned to collect was sitting less than twenty yards away from him and in one piece and good health. The Uchiha had also mentally destroyed his younger brother, who was on the same genin team as said tailed-beast container and her…

And then there was Naruto. The blonde fighter who had the kyuubi sealed inside of him by his own father, the fourth Hokage. The whiskered man was in otherwise perfect health, tailed-beast still harbored inside of him and held massive amounts of chakra control. He was sought after by an elite organization that killed (essentially) his friend Gaara. And don't forget to mention that the man who was solely responsible for _his_ own capture and the terror inflicted on his former best friend was sitting mere _feet_ from him, completely uninterested.

And then there was her. No kekkai genkai. No legendary beast sealed inside of her for a ridiculous power-up… But she admitted she was strong where the others failed. Sakura smirked at her ability to use her chakra perfectly, both medically and in combat. Though, it should be mentioned that she did kill a fellow operant of said illegal organization that the Uchiha was working with.

An ex-villian, a jinchuuriki, and a pink-haired medic. They were an odd and unlikely combination considering their backgrounds.

Sakura belatedly reminisced back to the days of Team 7… Hatake Kakashi led the way, Uzumaki Naruto constantly at ends with Uchiha Sasuke while she, Haruno Sakura, shook her head at them. The four of them would never be together again. And soon, they would meet their ex-teammate… It was going to be a hard fight for them all.

The pinkette mused on the fact that there was some semblance to Team 7 here today… Kakashi wasn't here, but herself, Naruto and an Uchiha were present. Not that Itachi was a replacement for Sasuke, but seeing the familiar fan on his back certainly brought up feelings and memories from the past.

Just what were they going to do when they saw Orochimaru stroll down the stone walkway under the face and body of Sasuke? Sakura thanked the gods that she wouldn't have to fight that fight.

No, there was a silent agreement- one that didn't need to even be brought up. Orochimaru would no doubt come with Kabuto in tow. Kabuto was her battle opponent; the two men with her had no chance fighting medical techniques and she had no business fighting a Sharingan and Giant Snake.

The sun had started dipping down through the trees, turning the sky deep shades of red and orange. Night was coming and no rogue ninja were in sight. Naruto said he would take first shift of watch. Saying thanks for his volunteering, the kunoichi glanced over to the older man in the group. He was still meditating on the wall. With a last look at Naruto, who remained facing away from her, she grabbed a blanket from her pack and pulled it over her.

All they could do at this point was wait.

* * *

There were no chakra signatures that appeared in the night. It was the next morning and the three of them were sitting in their respective places from yesterday. Only this time, Sakura had her medical kit splayed out in front her, checking and double checking the contents. She knew Kabuto was an accomplished medical ninja, but to be honest, she wasn't completely sure what level he was at. It had been so long since Konoha had heard news of him, therefore his status was a question mark. Just how strong had the glasses-wearing nin gotten over the years?

Satisfied with the supplies in front of her, Sakura began stuffing everything back into her pack. The question she had just asked herself… well, she'd be finding out the answer fairly shortly. Once the space before her was clear of medical supplies, the pinkette glanced around the courtyard; the dark-haired male was still sitting quietly upon the wall and the normally hyper-active blonde was oddly quiet on the steps. It was almost as if neither of them had moved in hours. In fact, she wasn't even sure that they had lain down to sleep.

Sighing, Sakura turned her head upward to the skies. It was a warm day and sunny, with no clouds filling the blue heavens. The three of them had been in these ruins for almost twenty four hours, with hardly any speaking. The only sounds that had taken place were the rocks settling or the rustling of food items.

The quiet was unnerving. The anticipation was leveling up the medic's anxiety level. She was able to keep herself clam, but she wasn't the most patient person. Hell, at this moment, even _Naruto_ was appearing more in control than she was- which was ridiculous.

The truth was that she was tired of waiting. It had been years since the last reunion of Team 7… It was inevitable that Naruto, Sasuke and her would meet again. But damn it, the waiting game needed to end. She knew that this day would come and now that it was practically here, Sakura was hoping it would happen sooner than later.

_Let's just get this over with_.

The kunoichi mentally berated herself for _literally_ asking for trouble.

Tired of sitting on the harsh stone floor, the pinkette lifted herself up to a standing position. Moving slightly at angles to stretch out, she let out a few grunts as her back flexed. A few more movements and twists, she had successfully worked out all the kinks in her body from sitting and leaning for so long. Sakura then decided to bend down and readjust her boots, which she had loosened in order to sit more comfortably. Fingers snapped the various buckles on the sides of the black material and lips curled into a small smirk at the satisfying sounds the latches made.

She stopped smiling.

Sakura swore she had never wrenched her head upward as fast as she had in that instant. Two chakra signatures that were eerily similar were moving closer to their position. Glancing around, she saw Naruto had stood up and was looking in the same direction she had sensed. Usually she would question how he noticed; her sensing abilities were far above his own, but his nose was much more sensitive she had come to learn.

The medic didn't even bother to turn around and look at Itachi. He was probably the first of the group to realize two foes were closing in on them.

Quickly picking up her pack of supplies and wrapping it around her hips like usual, Sakura faced the direction of incoming power. The two signatures were slowly moving- it appeared they were walking at a leisurely pace. Sakura was surprised at herself for not getting agitated. The pair was _deliberately_ moseying along at a snail's pace. If the duo was purposely trying to make a statement, it seemed like: "We'll get there at _our_ convenience, not yours."

Yet, the pinkette was still calm. Usually, she would bar her teeth at someone intentionally trying to piss her off. This time, she didn't care. And judging by their pace and distance, it would be another several minutes before they arrived.

And those minutes crawled by. But finally, two figures appeared in the clearing several tens of yards away. The two were quite some distance away, but the black hair was unmistakable, as was the shimmer of glass on the other's face.

Sasuke and Kabuto had finally surfaced after years of hiding.

It had finally hit her how difficult this was going to be. Sakura was trying hard to keep her face hardened when suddenly a warm hand placed itself on her right shoulder. She quickly turned her head to see who the owner of the hand was and it was not who she was expecting.

It was Naruto. He wasn't looking directly at her, but rather towards the two figures approaching them. His hand gave a tight squeeze on her shoulder and that meant the world to her. True, he wasn't looking at her face but the small gesture he had just performed… it was more than she could have asked for. Naruto was finally acknowledging her and the situation they were in. Sakura gently lifted her left hand and placed it on top of his. She gave it a tight squeeze of her own.

Closing her eyes, the medic released a small sigh and collected her thoughts. Her fox brother's hand on her shoulder gave her the confidence that she needed to win this fight- She was going to kick Kabuto's ass so hard, that her boot print was going to be permanently imprinted on him. Emerald flashed open boldly with determination.

It was at this point that the two rogue nin were just a few yards short of the courtyard. Sakura felt Itachi move to her left and Naruto take his hand off her shoulder. The pinkette crossed her arms as the figures made their first steps upon the harsh stone flooring of area.

Sakura could feel the difference in Naruto's behavior. Normally, he would have started screaming and yelling obscenities at the opposition, but instead he was calm and focused. The fact that he wasn't rip-roaring and ready to strike put her even more at ease at the task ahead.

Finally, the two stopped about ten feet in front of them and harsh reality came crashing down.

Kabuto was standing directly in front of her. His stupid-ass smug grin was practically laughing at her. It seemed he knew who his battle opponent was going to be, as well. He pressed his index and middle finger against his glasses to slide them up the bridge of his nose, while the glass glinted sharply in the sunlight. He hadn't changed his wardrobe either since their last meeting, but then again, neither had she. He stood in his usual deep purple and grey outfit while she stood in her standard red vest and medic skirt.

And then her attention turned to the figure next to him. It was Sasuke… but it wasn't Sasuke.

The white robe and mauve obi remained tied around his waist as before. The sun was picking up the raven highlights in his hair that his brother didn't have. His skin was paler than before, almost a corpse-like white. Though, she noticed that he had certainly grown a bit taller. However, the blonde next to her had matured to about six feet in height while the man before her was just an inch or two shy of that. However, it was his eyes that had changed dramatically.

Sakura remembered Sasuke having irises of a deep coal color. Itachi's were an even richer grey, bordering on almost black. But now, the younger Uchiha had eyes which had been replaced with a sickening golden yellow. These were Orochimaru's eyes.

Uchiha Itachi had been spot on concerning his younger brother's fate.

There was a silence for several moments, while Orochimaru and Kabuto grinned wickedly at them. She got the overwhelming urge to punt them across the rock floor, but she kept herself calm. A voice in the back of her head told her that they were purposely trying to rile them up. She wouldn't lose to the challenge.

When Itachi had initially told her what he suspected his brother had turned into, it took a bit a time for it to set in. However, the thought of what would actually happen when she saw him again was disconcerting. Would she break down in tears? Give a silent cry? Laugh? Sigh? Dredge up old feelings of their childhood or maybe even bring up her long-lost feelings of love?

Truth be told, she felt nothing.

This wasn't Sasuke. She felt bad for his fate, really, she did… but honestly, he was gone. Orochimaru was standing before her, not the cocky, brooding genius from her genin team. Seriously, she was wondering why she wasn't feeling any emotion at all. Not even pity? But she supposed the considerable telling in advance from Itachi had warned her enough to keep her emotions in check. And from what she could tell, Naruto was doing just the same.

It appeared that the lack of emotion on their faces caused Orochimaru and Kabuto to change tactics. Realizing that they were not going to achieve the satisfaction of displaying Sasuke's circumstances they had wanted, Kabuto finally spoke the first words since their arrival.

"Three on two isn't fair," he drawled out as he pushed his glasses up again.

Sakura twitched her mouth. Why did he keep pushing them up? What kind of dumbass gets glasses that keep sliding down their nose? And what kind of dumbass _ninja_ gets glasses in the first place? Glass near your eyes? That's a _stupid_ idea.

"Tch." She spat.

Rounding his bespectacled eyes upon her, he smirked. "Ah, Sakura-chan. My, have you physically grown. But, I wonder how your abilities have fared over the years?"

"And I wonder how far down your throat I can force my foot."

Following her statement, Kabuto disappeared. She knew he was leading her away from the others for their own fight, so she glanced quickly at the two males beside her. Both of them were still staring intently at smirking mouth Sasuke always wore.

With a quick nod toward them, she disappeared as well, and dashed towards Kabuto's chakra signature.

* * *

Naruto felt Sakura leave the area. He knew she was going after Kabuto and hoped that she would make it out of that fight alive. The blonde had been informed on several occasions how dirty medic-nin fights could get by the pink-haired kunoichi. He didn't question it at all; medical ninja knew where to hit and make those hits count. They aimed for perfection with no wasted movements and precision of contact points.

Naruto didn't _do_ precision.

His style was more flamboyant, though it had certainly tamed quite a bit since his earlier years. He was able to think more intelligently and not make stupid mistakes.

…as much.

However, the jinchuuriki was still an idiot, but hell, that was how he rolled. Somehow, shit just always worked out.

Regardless, he was more intent on focusing on the man before him. It was unnerving and gut-wrenching to see your best friend's body before you, yet it wasn't. Naruto didn't dare look into his eyes anymore. He had seen that they had become a nasty, golden color, but immediately settled his stare on his chest. Naruto didn't have a Sharingan and he wasn't going to take that chance. And it seemed the male beside was wondering about that, as well.

"Naruto," his calm voice sounded. "Are you capable to fight against the Sharingan?" The blonde grunted in approval.

The sentence had caused old memories to surface- those from Chiyo baa-chan. She had given her own opinion on fighting Sharingan-users and the opponent from then was the very man standing next to him now! She had said that in a one-on-one fight, run away. Two-on-one was worth a shot. Naruto kept a smile hidden. True, he was against a Sharingan, but his partner held the same advantange. And said partner had the Mangekyou, whereas Orochimaru didn't. Things were looking up.

However, Naruto didn't know what sort of tricks were up Orochimaru's sleeve… which wasn't good. But the blonde had faith in his ability to think on his feet. And something inside his gut was telling him to _move_. He quickly moved back several tens of feet, stationing himself behind the older Uchiha. Naruto glanced at the older male's hands and instantly recognized what was happening.

Things got hot _real_ fast. Orochimaru had learned the Uchiha's Fireball technique, it had seemed. The Snake-Sannin had motioned the required hand signs to summon forth a mass of fire and blew it from his mouth. Itachi had also made the necessary hand seals and blew an equally large force of flame across the stone courtyard.

Itachi's flames were being pushed back. Blue eyes widened in horror. It appeared that Orochimaru had more chakra than Itachi, or at least was willing to use more on this attack. Naruto however, had the feeling that it was more so the former thought. But a whiskered face turned into a smirk.

Naruto had more chakra than _either_ of them, courtesy of a demon fox hiding behind his navel.

The blonde raised his right hand so as to point it directly at Itachi's flames. With a yell, he created a shuriken of wind, spiraling quickly about his palm. The shuriken had collected and was blowing wind about furiously, but it was facing the Uchiha's flames. The gusts were being pushed into the fire, causing the flames to become a raging conflagration. With a cocky grin, Naruto noted how much fires thrived on air and thus, the duo's fire and wind combination overtook Orochimaru's fireball quickly.

"Well, that was neat," came a whiskered chuckle. "I didn't actually think that would work." The shuriken quickly dissipated. Naruto brought his hand down and steadied himself for the next attack.

"Aa," Itachi smooth tenor bellowed. "It certainly was a pleasant surprise. But focus; he's planning something."

Naruto wasn't sure when it had happened, but he had accepted Uchiha Itachi as a good guy. It had been a bitter pill to swallow, yes, but he had to admit- he had been wrong about the guy. Which, of course, wasn't his fault. The damn Uchiha was an actor of the utmost highest skill, so no shit was it hard to believe. Especially when you thought he wanted you dead.

But when he saw Sasuke's body begin walking toward the clearing yet he sensed Orochimaru's chakra signature emanating from it… that was the nail on the head. Itachi had been telling the truth. So maybe that had been the turning point?

Anyway, that had officially put Uchiha Itachi on his list of allies. He trusted the guy.

A strange sound was coming from the snake man… Naruto saw that he was hunched over slightly, almost like he was trying to vomit…

Oh, _shit_.

"Itachi, he's about to summon that sword thing out of his mouth…" the blonde gulped.

"The Sword of Kusanagi," Itachi murmured. "Be careful. He can manipulate its length at will and is deadly sharp."

Orochimaru had cocked his head back and opened his mouth wide, allowing for a sword to emerge, hilt first, which he grabbed with his right hand. He quickly pulled the sword from his throat and held it in front of him.

_Great, just great. Now I have to play around with a stupid sword that can cut anything?_ The blonde grumbled inside his head.

Orochimaru hadn't wasted a moment to attack. He immediately swung the weapon in a wide, sweeping motion, changing its length to reach the two men. Naruto had barely dodged the attack, while Itachi had leapt gracefully away.

The sword kept swinging about madly. It was an excellent long range weapon and also perfect for close combat. It moved around rapidly, trying to catch the two Konoha nin off guard. His ability to move such a huge hunk of metal with such dexterity was more than impressive. Naruto would have admired it, but he was constantly in a rain of slashing metal.

And to make matters worse, it turned out that the snake could also manipulate the _width_, too.

_Ahhh, god_damn_it_.

Naruto had barely avoided a sword strike when the bastard had decided to make his weapon several feet wider. Itachi had been right; the edges were extremely sharp. And now the fox jinchuuriki was sporting a nice slash mark across his left arm and part of his shoulder. It hurt like a bitch.

He had half wondered why Itachi hadn't hit the snake man yet… After all, while Orochimaru was attacking him, Itachi should have had an opening to make a move. Except, the speed at which the sword was moving was much too quick and the Sannin was alternating blows between the two of them. It made getting close more than difficult. And it didn't help that they were several tens of meters away from him.

Naruto shook his head and tried to steal a glance at the Uchiha. He hoped one of them was going to come up with a plan… soon.

* * *

He was smiling at her. And not in one of those "I'm so happy to see you!" smiles. It was one of those predatory, "I'm going to enjoy this" smiles that perverts and sickos usually have plastered on their faces. She didn't appreciate his leering at her, especially.

Instead, she reached into her skirt's back pocket and pulled out her black combat gloves. Sakura slowly pulled them over the fingers of one hand and then the other. Clenching her fists, she relished how the material felt on her hands. She was going to _pummel_ his face with these fists, damn it.

However, his eyes widened in anticipation as she focused back on his face. He was seriously enjoying how this was going? Sakura noted that Kabuto had probably escaped into the realm of crazy, but then again, he was always like this... Though, his attention had never been solely on her. In fact, she had never fought Kabuto, to tell the truth. She didn't know what sort of tricks he had developed in the past few years, either.

So she snorted at him.

He had led her out of the stone courtyard and into a large clearing with only a few remnants of stone walls spattered here and there. For the most part, the ground was dirt and grass. She swung her left foot in front of her and crouched down slightly, bringing her hands up at chest level. The pinkette glared heavily at him while she clenched her fists.

He only smiled leisurely at her and casually moved one of his own feet forward.

"Ladies first, Sakura-chan," Kabuto slid out with a grin that held too much teeth. Sakura mentally noted she'd have to knock out a few of them today.

He thought he was such hot shit, didn't he? Yeah, clearly he did, since he was cocking an eyebrow up at her. Mhmm, the glasses-wearing freak probably thought he was so much better than her and he was using his height to look down upon her. She'd have to teach him a thing or two, it seemed.

Without a second thought, Sakura punched the ground with a super-charged fist of chakra, propelling the energy toward him. The ground ruptured apart and rubble cascaded down. Kabuto simply jumped backward out of harm's way. She didn't care; it wasn't too hard to dodge, really. It was really a test to see how well he reacted.

The silver-haired man gently landed upon the ground untouched by her chakra. He grinned wickedly at her again with a simple phrase to accompany it: "My turn."

Kabuto sped forward, slicing his hands outward, his fingertips turning blue. Sakura immediately recognized the chakra scalpels Tsunade had warned her about. He churned towards her, making large sweeping motions with his arms as he tried to slice her. The female medic however, had somersaulted backward and kept flipping, as he narrowly missed her. Sakura made sure to watch her timing; getting hit by one of those scalpels would hurt.

Kabuto feverishly made slicing motions at the pinkette as she twisted in midair. Just how long was she going to keep flipping? But Sakura timed herself correctly once her hands touched the ground. Instead of pushing off the ground to continue the back flip, she swung her legs widely to the side in an effort to knock him off balance. Unfortunately, the grey-haired villain jumped back to avoid chakra-laden legs to the gut.

The pinkette took the opportunity to right herself upward and immediately leapt toward her opponent. She swung at his face, which he dodged barely while jumping back. However, he was still swinging madly with his blue-tinted fingers, trying to catch her flesh.

Sakura felt herself growing frustrated. She should have known better; a medic's first training relies on their ability to dodge attacks. Kabuto clearly exceled in this field of study, as did she. This fight was proving obnoxious.

But, as her opponent made a jabbing motion at her head, the kunoichi immediately switched from the defensive to offensive. He thrust his right hand forward, while she jerked to the left of the incoming hand. Sakura brought her right hand up and immediately clenched down upon his wrist, bracing it down on her right shoulder- all this, while her left hand gathered chakra. Sakura instantly used her left hand to punch his elbow, which caused it to bend in the wrong direction. She smirked as she heard the satisfying crack of bones and tendons snapping. Following her hit, she got out of harm's way of his left hand's scalpel.

She grinned defiantly at him, while he clutched his now useless arm. Not wasting his moment off guard, she sped to him again, in hopes of another attack. However, his maniacal laughter echoed through the clearing, causing her to stop her pursuit.

He looked up at her and returned a grin. Sakura stood confused for a moment until she looked down at his right elbow.

It had healed. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

It would take a lot longer than a few seconds to repair a disintegrated elbow… even for a skilled medic. Yet, he was bending it like nothing had happened! There wasn't even any evidence of her attack!

The female fought hard to keep her face impassive.

"You almost had me there, Sakura-chan," he smoothed out. Almost. _Almost._ She swore she made contact. She _heard_ his bones crack and move. What had happened?

She thought hard for a moment. Oh. _Right_. Tsunade had warned her of that, too. Kabuto sensed where his enemies would attack him and immediately sent his chakra there to start the recovery process before there was any damage. This kept pain and recovery time to a minimum, hence why he was standing before her with such a goddamned cocky grin stuck on his face.

Emerald hardened. So, he was going to heal every single wound he received from her? That was about as chicken-shit as you could get.

Kabuto could immediately recover from whatever injury she caused. Sakura thought hard… how was she going to beat him?

* * *

Naruto and Itachi had been dodging aimlessly from that damn sword for quite some time. Naruto had gained a few rips in his clothes, but he still had nothing life threatening. He had no idea what injuries his partner was sporting; he didn't have time to look over before the sword was moving again.

The blonde quickly felt a change in the air; something was happening. Orochimaru took the opportunity to stall his movements and the young blonde quickly looked over at the Uchiha. He recognized the surge in chakra as the one when Sasuke powered up- to the Sharingan.

Wait a moment.

Cerulean eyes blinked. Had Itachi been fighting… this whole time… with regular eyes? _Whaaat_? He had just assumed the male had red irises the whole battle thus far. Then Naruto realized he hadn't confirmed that up until now. Officially looking over, it was true. Uchiha Itachi just now had switched from onyx to the standard level Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan.

No wonder they were getting their asses beaten.

But why?

"Oi!" he yelled at the man some twenty yards away. "Why are you just now using those? We've been doing nothing but going on the defense!"

Itachi only gave a small smile. "I hope Sakura will not be too upset when she discovers her hard work needs to be repeated." His red eyes now focused on the Sannin in front of them. Naruto took a few moments to process the statement. Sakura's hard work? What hard work? What did she do? But it clicked. She was a _medic_. His eyes were busted and needed fixing. So, he was purposely not using his Sharingan because he didn't want her efforts to be wasted?

Whoa. That was deep.

But whatever, it wasn't his business. Naruto stabled his stance and looked at the pale man before him. He fought down a grin; Itachi had his Sharingan out. This would be a cake walk. They were going to take Orochimaru down and-

A pale hand raised the Sword of Kusanagi to the Heavens. A crackling noise was echoing off the stone floor and Naruto cringed.

Orochimaru could use Sasuke's Lightning Techniques.

There were no expletives that could dignify this situation. None.

Golden Lightning enveloped the sword erratically, snapping wildly about the length.

Orochimaru charged forward the two men. The blonde noticed that the Lightning form didn't allow for Orochimaru to manipulate the length and width. That was somewhat hopeful…

Until the damn sword nicked his left arm. And bitter realization came to his mind when Naruto remembered that the Lightning-clad sword numbs where it hits. Quickly retreating farther back, the blonde clutched his limp arm, while Orochimaru focused his attention on the Uchiha.

Well, _now_ what was he going to do? Shouldn't Itachi be pulling some ultra mindfuck on Orochimaru by now? He stared at the two men moving so gracefully it was sickening. Itachi effortlessly dodged the sword's slashes while the snake man frantically thrust it about.

Naruto didn't know much about the Sharingan or how it worked. In fact, he wasn't even sure what happened when two Sharingans faced off against each other. Did they simply void out each other's attacks? Or did the stronger user triumph? He supposed Itachi knew what he was doing… It wasn't like he was a novice or something, but it was still irritating how it seemed like he was taking his time with this whole situation.

Lightning continued to crackle as it danced about the sword and the air changed again. Something told Naruto what had caused it… Orochimaru had quickly jumped back several paces when suddenly the sword erupted in dark, black flames. The Snake immediately dropped his sword as it became engulfed with the flames of Amaterasu and began darting about madly. It seemed he knew that everything the stoic Uchiha looked at was in danger of becoming ashes.

Unforuntately, Itachi wasn't able to ignite said Snake Sannin. Instead, the landscape took a turn for the worse; stones became blackened and grass charred. It wasn't long before the flames dissipated and Naruto took that for his cue.

While Itachi took a moment to recuperate, the young blonde charged forward, Rasengan rotating madly in his right hand. He took aim at Orochimaru, who barely dodged the attack as Naruto thrust his hand toward him. The young Konoha nin immediately took on the offensive, taking advantage of Orochimaru's now defenseless state. There was no sword or Lightning at the moment and he was going to use that while he could.

He managed to land several melee hits to his corpse-like face and robed torso, earning a small grunt in response. Orochimaru however, held yet another trump card.

He didn't need a sword to go on the offensive. His right arm turned scaly and the snake made a bee-line to Naruto's torso. Thankfully, the blonde retreated backwards unscathed and looked over at his partner.

He looked fine; Naruto didn't see any injuries on his person, but he had the sneaking suspicion that the Amaterasu and Mangekyou caused a different kind of damage. Kakashi had been proof of that. Besides, Itachi seemed like the type to go down in a fight due to exhaustion and not by injury. Though, from the looks of it, he still had a long way to go before he reached the point of falling over.

But then he jumped backward and Naruto belatedly noted that they had been doing a lot of that in this fight… But for Uchiha Itachi to do so, something bad must be about to go down. Naruto quickly moved over to him, while Orochimaru remained still. Just what was he planning?

The Sannin raised his arms and hundreds of snakes erupted from his sleeves. And as if that wasn't scary enough, each snake had its jaws opened wide; a Chidori was situated nicely between each of their jaws. Hundreds of Chidori, aimed at the two of them. Oh shit, just _one_ was bad enough, but now this? There was no way to dodge this onslaught. There were just _too many_.

One word ran through Naruto's mind: _Fuck_.

* * *

She had racked her brains and finally come up with a plan. The two of them had continued trading blows back and forth, but most were misses. Sakura had landed another hard hit on his knee with her foot, which should have dislocated his knee cap, but he had quickly recovered from that, too. The bastard moved just as swiftly as before.

That was when it hit her. It took lots of chakra to heal those wounds… and he even used more than necessary because he started the healing process _before_ it was even needed. She was going to make sure she hit him enough to use up more and more of his chakra…

This of course, was dangerous. Little cuts and scrapes weren't going to do. She needed to land serious blows and damage upon his person in order for him to heal himself. While he wasted chakra to recover, she was going to use her own to land the hits.

Sakura quickly ducked low and swung her foot out and in attempt to sweep his feet out from under him. Kabuto quickly jumped up, but so did she, sending her fist toward him as gravity forced him back down. Her fist made contact with his stomach as she pushed her energy out of her hand. He grunted slightly as his diaphragm dislodged from its usual housing. Sakura knew he was healing himself once more, but only just. This injury wasn't serious to begin with.

However, Kabuto had immediately crouched down and swiped at her while she attempted to jump back. His scalpels caught across her thighs and blood heavily started pouring down.

Well, shit.

Sakura grimaced as she realized he nicked the arteries in her legs. She couldn't help it; green chakra flowed through her hands, as she pressed them to her legs. He stood some distance away from her, watching her heal the wound he caused.

She couldn't do anything about it. If she didn't stop the blood flow, she'd bleed out. But that was all Sakura did- stop the bleeding. She didn't need to perfectly hide the slash mark or angry, red discoloration around the wound. The kunoichi needed to retain as much chakra as possible for this fight. Besides, she didn't give a shit if the cut showed or not.

Sakura leapt through the air, careening in the direction of her foe. Her booted right foot made contact with the ground instead of his person, so she immediately pivoted while twisting her other foot towards his hip.

She was aiming for major joints- Places on the body that when damaged, severely impeded one's ability to fight. Unfortunately, he reacted to her movement and instead of a hip, she made contact with his shin.

Damn.

The shin bone was just that- one bone. It was fairly easy to fix, whereas the hip region was incredibly complex and took much more chakra. However, a broken bone still required a decent amount of chakra to heal so Sakura took what she could.

A hip would have been better though.

"Sakura-chan," Kabuto purred out. "You have gotten a great deal stronger, I can see that. But surely you know the difference in our abilities… It appears your mentor has supplied you with only short-term battle strategies, yes? 'Hit what you can and when you do, hit it hard.' However, it seems your brute strength isn't working on me." He slid his glasses up the bridge of his nose once again. Sakura couldn't figure out why that motion irked her so much.

But what she didn't appreciate was how he insulted her and her Shishou. She'd strangle him with his intestines if he kept agitating her like this.

She had a plan, she did. Unfortunately, it wasn't going as smoothly as she wanted. But then, she would prove him wrong. Sakura was regarded as clever and intelligent. He was sorely misguided if he thought she couldn't' work out a battle strategy. However, creating a strategy and implementing it were two different things. But the main idea of her plan was all she had at the moment.

This was going to be a trial of medical techniques- a battle of who had more chakra and who could use it more efficiently.

* * *

The sky was twittering hysterically from the Chidori raining down upon them. This was not good. They couldn't outrun it. Naruto honestly had no clue what to do.

The blue lights were coming closer and closer and Naruto braced himself for the explosions and pain that was inevitably on its way.

The earth rattled and dust filled the air. Stone slabs were thrown about hundreds of feet away from their original housing grounds. But there was no pain…

Naruto looked around confused. The air around him had turned yellow, which struck him as odd. There was a radius of several yards where the ground remained intact, yet there was a clear and definite line where craters started. Was there some sort of shield that had been invoked?

Glancing quickly at the only person who could have possible done something like that, he saw Itachi hunched over, panting wildly. Looking up, Naruto saw that there was some large figure enveloping the two of them. It was yellow and almost human in appearance. He looked questioningly at the Uchiha.

"What… is this?" he asked.

"It is Susanoo," the male answered. "It is the Mangekyou's final attack and defense. It creates both a warrior and shield simultaneously. We are both safely inside it. Unfortunately, it relies on my abilities to determine its strength of attack and defense. The barrage of chidori was incredibly strong. Summoning Susanoo to protect us from that last attack has practically wiped out my chakra reserves."

Naruto stilled at the last comment. He couldn't believe it. Itachi was already down for the count after only a handful of attacks? He took another look up at the seventy-foot figure that had saved them from becoming lightning rods. Shit, it was probably like summoning Gamabunta.

Naruto kept forgetting how special he was to have the Nine-Tail's chakra; for someone to summon up that big of a force and give it enough power to defend against hundreds of Chidori, no wonder the guy was almost exhausted.

Naruto silently hoped that the pair of dark-haired men had some sort of genjutsu battle that he couldn't see. He knew from Kakashi that a lot of damage could happen in just a second or two. That would also explain the sudden fatigue. Regardless, the Uchiha was out of commission; he crouched down to the ground. Onyx eyes told him to keep fighting before they closed out of consciousness.

The blonde didn't move for a bit as the yellow haze disappeared. But he quickly remembered Orochimaru was still standing and that was nothing short of unacceptable. It was time to pull out all the stops…

Naruto raised his arm up and the air pulsated, revolving slowly about his palm. The shuriken formed once more and he hurled it at the man inhibiting Sasuke's body while his left arm dangled at his side. The shuriken hit the dirt, creating a cloud about the dark-haired male.

When the air cleared, Naruto saw that the shuriken had indeed inflicted some damage on the Sannin, that is, it made contact with his left leg. Orochimaru's left calf was slashed open and blood was weeping down from the wound. It was certainly an improvement from the battle before. Hopefully, the bastard wouldn't be moving as agile as before.

Whatever was happening, it was time to get this show on the road. Using his own energy, Naruto's eyes turned golden as well, while the pupils stiffened horizontally. The jinchuuriki of the demon fox had now entered Sage Mode.

He sped in the direction of the Sannin, preparing to attack, when several snakes erupted from the sleeves of Snake man's robe. The snakes sliced through the air, attempting to catch the blonde, who dodged the attacks easily. Naruto realized that the Chidori barrage and fight with Itachi must have severely weakened the Sannin. Perhaps the Uchiha _had_ engaged in a Sharingan battle…

He'd never know until later.

Back at the task at hand, the blonde continued to evade those damn snakes constantly swarming around him. They weren't posing any threat, but they certainly weren't allowing him to get close. But maybe he'd get to use the same trick twice…

Naruto reached into his back pouch and pulled out an explosive tag. He threw the tag down before him, while summoning wind to swirl around his right hand. His left one was still useless from the hit from the Lightning wrapped sword, but he wasn't going to give up. When the explosion rang out, the rotating wind was leached upon by the fire, leading to a small conflagration.

A yell rang out as the whiskered blonde saw the snakes charred beyond well-done. Taking the opportunity, he ran forward. He jumped into the air, pushing his right hand in front. Orochimaru was almost right in front of him.

Gold looked hard at gold.

Whiskered cheeks adjusted to bare teeth. Snake-like teeth glistened and grinned wildly. Naruto saw the mood change on his face and tried to move, but he was falling downward and there was no way to alter his landing position…

Too late to think any different, Naruto focused intently. He was surprised Orochimaru wasn't moving, which was unnerving; he was up to something. As his right hand neared Orochimaru's chest, he started summoning chakra. The air started to twist once more, as the Rasenshuriken formed in his hand.

The shuriken came to life mere inches from Orochimaru's chest. Naruto reveled in the fact that it continued forward and made contact with the white fabric of the Snake's robe. The material twisted in the rotation of the wind and warped away from his body. The shining azure weapon made contact with human flesh and Naruto watched as the chest cavity of his once best friend ripped wide open. The shuriken blasted through Sasuke's body and Orochimaru's eyes contorted in pain.

A triumphant smile broke out across a whiskered face until a stabbing pain rang throughout his right shoulder. Orochimaru made a final stand and Naruto saw why the bastard had been smiling in his last moments. His jaws were open wide, with a snake protruding from the mouth. A smaller sword had erupted from the snake's throat. The sword had pierced Naruto's shoulder clean through… but had not hit anything life-threatening.

Not that it mattered, because the battle was now over. The torso of Sasuke's body had been completely obliterated. The dangerous combination of wind and chakra had caused the body to tear apart and left nothing behind. The blonde knew Orochimaru could piece himself back together if he was split in half… but half of him had _disappeared_. There was nothing to piece back together. Just legs, a head and neck.

Naruto leaned backward to disengage himself from the sword. He winced as the weapon slowly released itself from his shoulder and grunted at the unpleasant feeling. Blue eyes stared hard at what was left of Sasuke. It was nothing short of gut-wrenching. It hurt to see this. It felt like his heart had gotten wedged in his throat… but it simply needed to be done. To be honest, he couldn't look anymore at the mangled remains of the once Konoha shinobi. The once member of Team Seven. The first person who was really his friend…

Naruto managed to locate the Uchiha and began to hobble his way over to him. He wasn't too far away, which was fantastic because he was tired, miserable and neither of his arms were working properly.

He finally collapsed onto the ground nearby Itachi and sighed. He looked off in the distance and hoped to the heavens that the only other member of his Genin team would make it back ok.

* * *

She hoped he was tired, she really did. They had been trading blows for quite some time now, with both of them taking hits. This was the problem when two medic nins duked it out- they both know where to hit to make the most damage. Kabuto was aiming for her to bleed out, it seemed. In addition to his swipe across her thighs from before, Sakura was now sporting fresh new marks on her skin.

The glasses-wearing twat had achieved clean hits on her arms and her midriff. The slash across her core had earned a deep rip in her red vest, from her navel to the hem line; the crimson material was flapping madly with her quick movements. It was to her disadvantage that he was scoring damage on her- the precious chakra she should be using to pummel his stupid ass into the ground was instead being utilized to heal herself from the deep wounds. God_damn_it.

There was not much doubt in her mind that Kabuto had more chakra stored than she did. Sakura was banking on the fact that she was using her reserves more sparingly and conservatively. However, if the male kept landing deep slashes on her, this wasn't going to turn out good.

In fact, she was nearing the end of her rope. The pinkette was thankful that she had gotten some good hits on her opponent- another broken shin and shoulder. However, what she was most pleased with was the incredibly lethal hit to his sternum, which _should_ have killed him, but the bastard still remained breathing and standing.

A normal person would have immediately collapsed when the sternum was broken and the heart would have been decimated, hence death. But no. Kabuto kept pulling off his premeditated healing techniques.

It was good and bad, really. Bad that he was still functioning relatively perfectly, but good in the fact that the healing process required massive amounts of chakra to pull it off. Sakura took the latter thought and ran with it.

Regardless, she was running out of chakra. Kabuto was still coming at her full force, so the female kept up appearances to dodge his attacks. He was feverishly attacking her with those damn scalpels. Not too long ago, he started _throwing_ the damn things at her, which was how she got her vest torn. His smug grin at the contact only fueled her anger further. So she retaliated with her own kunai. Except, he wasn't having any trouble dodging them so she scrapped that idea.

As Sakura ducked down to avoid another sweep of flying scalpels, she was seriously hoping his energy was nearing its end like hers. They'd been going at it for quite some time now, so perhaps he-

"Sakura-chan," he smiled at her from a few meters away. "I can feel your chakra dwindling. Coming up short, aren't you?"

Well, _fuck_.

The pinkette had been hoping he wouldn't notice and that she had concealed her lack of energy from him. Apparently, he found out. She had been trying to see if he was in the same boat, but the jerk was concealing it fairly well.

Gnashing her teeth, Sakura kicked herself mentally as she noted just _one more thing_ he was better at than her.

She didn't dignify his statement with a comment of her own… verbally.

Her bigger problem, she realized as she twisted her body to avoid more slashing motions from his arms, was that she calculated there was just enough chakra for one more hit on his person.

One.

That was it.

Deciding to make her final stand, Sakura immediately switched from defensive to offensive mode. Kabuto charged forward, bending his left arm backward, with his fingertips blue. Smirking inwardly, she had already discerned the movement that told he was going to make another stabbing attack. This was how she landed her first hit upon him…

The male quickly jabbed his left arm forward and Sakura used her footwork to position herself out of harm's way. In the same instant, she pulsed green chakra through her own left hand as his came forward. She was aiming for his shoulder- another critical joint.

Her powerful left hand was moving towards his left shoulder… Emerald eyes watched critically for the hit…

A foot away.

Half a foot.

This was going to hurt him _a lot_...

Inches…

A hair's width… she was going to make contact! She would probably destroy his collarbone, as an added bonus.

She felt her gloved hand touch the fabric coating his shoulder.

And that was it.

She blinked in confusion at the lack of fleshy undertones of her punch when suddenly she doubled over as he jabbed her from behind.

It took a moment to register what had happened and then the bitter facts came raining down. He had dodged her attack and came at her from the back. A well-placed scalpel had connected with her mid-back and ruptured one of her kidneys.

Panic started setting in.

There was no choice, really. The energy she was going to use for her last hit was now being converted into healing energy to keep herself stable. Her kidney had imploded and she needed to fix it _now_.

And he was still smirking at her as he pushed up his stupid round glasses. Sakura belatedly appreciated Itachi's smirks more so than this jackass's… And she was _still_ annoyed at the way he kept fixing his dumb glasses.

But the bottom line was that she had now completely run out of chakra. Sakura officially gave herself the title of "Underdog" in this fight. There wasn't much hope left, not when she had no chakra left. If he gave her another injury like that- breaking an internal organ- she was done for. She wouldn't be able to heal herself.

It was then he took advantage of the situation. He _knew_ she was depleted of fighting power. All she had left was _literally_ brute strength, not the enhancement technique the Hokage bestowed upon her. The man had knocked her down onto the ground and landed with her beneath him.

Emerald looked around wildly at what he was doing. He had pinned her efficiently down to the earth floor and she could feel small stones breaking into her back. He had his lower body positioned between her legs and was holding her upper arms down flat. He watched amusedly as his prey flailed about madly, trying to escape.

"Things aren't going to end well here, Kunoichi," he drawled out sadistically. "I'm sure you realize the situation you're in right now…"

Well, of course she did! She knew how obviously an intimate position they were in and she didn't care for it at all. He kept talking about how superior he was and she didn't really listen. Sakura's mind was racing trying to figure out what to do.

He was still blathering on and on when she finally noticed the flaw. He was indeed holding her down, but it was solely with his weight and strength. Her inner persona let out a wicked laugh as she realized the last kidney hit had depleted _his_ chakra, as well. His poker face was just a hell of a lot better.

The battle had changed from efficiency to brute strength and intelligence.

While he had been yammering away at her, she had feigned struggling, which as only added to his chagrin. He was still pleased with his control over her, so she took advantage and made her move. It was time to end this fight.

Several things happened simultaneously.

She mustered enough strength to reach her right hand across her body to grab ahold of his right wrist which was holding down her left arm. Her left hand twisted up to seize his right forearm. Together, both her hands pulled violently to swing his right forearm across her chest and lay it flat over her own right shoulder.

She took advantage of the fact that he had left her legs completely free. She kneed his side and used that as a distraction to sneak her right leg through and between his arms. Her leg wrapped around the back his neck, and her foot nestled behind the knee of her left leg.

This had caused his head to become trapped in a triangle choke. Sakura used her left hand to pull down on her right foot to strengthen the hold… Kabuto began fighting madly trying to escape, but he was fairly easy for her to keep him in that position. Sakura kept pressing down as hard as she could to keep him from breathing.

And finally, he stopped flailing. But she kept hold, just for good measure.

When she finally deemed it impossible for him to be alive, she let go. The body of Kabuto fell dead upon her chest. His weight suddenly landing on her caused her to cough slightly and she quickly pushed him off her.

Of all things, this was how he died? Not by some medical technique. Not by her inflicting damage upon his body. He also didn't die because she used her enhanced strength. No. She strangled him with her two legs and his own arm.

Whatever.

He was dead and she was satisfied. Besides, there wasn't much choice in the matter; they had both been wiped out of chakra and she had no doubt in her mind that he was stronger than her physically. It was just how testosterone worked. The only way for someone of her frame to take down a larger male was to move quickly and strategically and that choke hold was just the thing needed. It didn't matter how small she was compared to him. The hold was near impossible to break out of if you didn't know how.

And just to make her feel even more elated about his defeat, she stood up, and stomped those ridiculous glasses of his into his face.

* * *

What a sight to behold.

Sakura had managed to hobble back to the site of where the three men had been fighting. It appeared as if the battles had ended roughly around the same time, since the ruckus has ceased. Emerald quickly looked around trying to find her teammates. Stones were blackened and thrown about all over the landscape. She had _thought_ there was grass on the ground when she had left them, but there wasn't any evidence of that now. Only a mess of dirt was left behind. Sakura frantically scanned the area for the winners of the battle.

Her eyes had landed upon the mass of dark hair lying face down in the stone. Her heart beat erratically for a moment, before she registered the body as Orochimaru's; Itachi didn't wear white.

He, however, was lying unconscious several yards away, with a fox jinchuuriki laying down on his back nearby. Naruto was breathing heavily and the pinkette quickly made her way over to them.

The blonde offered a smile to her that she hadn't seen in what seemed like _ages._

"Glad you kicked his ass, Sakura-chan!" he grinned.

She gave a wide smile back, as well, "It wasn't easy, let me tell you." Her tone suddenly became serious as she continued. "Unfortunately, I've completely ran out of chakra. _Please_ tell me neither of you are critically injured?"

Blonde hair shook violently side to side as she fell unceremoniously to the ground. "Nah, he's just tired, just like me and you. My arms have seen better days, though."

Sakura let out a sigh of relief. Glancing toward the body of her old teammate, she realized that it was finally over. Orochimaru was actually _dead_. Kabuto was _dead_ by _her_ hands. Sasuke had been brought to peace at last. And the same went for his brother.

It was all over.

Thank the heavens, because the three of them were nothing short of exhausted. Glancing toward her teammate, the medic softened her face.

"Hey, Naruto. Let's go home."

He impishly smiled and opened his mouth to response enthusiastically.

"Yes, let's go home. The village has been curious as to where you've both been."

Sakura and Naruto frowned. That wasn't the blonde's voice.

Both of them turned towards the direction of where the voice materialized from and their hearts fell through their stomachs. Sakura would rather face both Kabuto _and_ Sasori again than admit how frightened she was at this moment.

They were looking into the cold, white masks of Anbu Root.

* * *

Oh, snap. Cliffhanger.

Anyway, I'll admit this is my first go at a "battle scene" and let me tell you- it was bloody hard. However, for a math major, I don't think it's too bad... Also, you know how in Chapter ten, I said our Christmas tree is still up? Yup, it still is. I find is hilarious how the tree has been up as long as this story has been in progress (oh my gosh, has it really been two years?). I guess we just gave up.

Anyway, let me know what you think!

-Kiwi


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